


The Sound of Silence

by Ari_the_Dodecahedron



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, But also, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Healing Magic, M/M, Medical, Mental Health Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pride, Sickfic, Three Days in the Infirmary (Percy Jackson), Too many puns, Trans Will Solace, and headcanons are fair game, both of the english variety and the ancient greek, i was bored, not TOA compliant, not a songfic, researched medical stuff that should be somewhat realistic, the only reason it's rated teen is because cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-05-08 07:29:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14689377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ari_the_Dodecahedron/pseuds/Ari_the_Dodecahedron
Summary: The world isn't what Nico supposes he should remember. It cares about what happens to him, for one. And why did he promise Will he'd stay in the infirmary for three days? He thinks that may have been a mistake. But maybe a mistake is okay, because it means he's going to be cared for by the most adorkable healer (boyfriend?) of all.(I'm not shy about the medical material in this; however, there is nothing graphic.)Daily updates, provided author is not sick. Currently, author is sick. Updates when possible.





	1. Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [phoenix__wandering](https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenix__wandering/gifts).



> I'm not up to date on the books. College does that to people. But since I'll never admit that people die, let's take a look at the actual best part of the universe.  
> This is a gift for my most wonderful of friends, phoenix__wandering, who is quite possibly the best DM in my entire area. He was sick and I was inspired.  
> Disclaimer: I'm not Uncle Rick.

###  **Chapter One: Hello, Darkness, My Old Friend**

 

Nico was not liking the situation at hand.

He was holed up in his cabin at the moment, still wearing the ridiculous shirt, though he'd found a pair of slightly loose black shorts he threw on. He didn't want to wear his sweaty jeans in the middle of summer, even if they provided more protection from the view of other campers.

And Will.

Nico shuddered at the thought of dealing with the healer. Will had promised to be by before dinner to pick him up, meaning he had less than half an hour of freedom left. Nico shifted the blackout curtain aside for an instant, squinting against the bright summer sunlight outside. He saw someone leaning against the cabin, someone tall, blond, and unfairly handsome.

Well, that last part was subjective.

Nico let go of the curtain, grabbing the backpack Will had told him to fill with whatever he had for comfort. For Nico, that consisted of his one blanket, the thing he'd carried around since he'd stolen it a week after finding out his sister was dead. It was ripped mostly to shreds from monster attacks at this point, but he could feel that there was something special about it. Sentiment, maybe. He didn't want to let it out of his sight after this long without it while he was busy questing.

So with the backpack slung over his left shoulder to avoid the worst of his pain, Nico opened the cabin door to face his fears.

“Yay!” he heard Will say only an instant later as he blinked at the sunlight. “You’re still alive!”

“I’m fine,” Nico muttered, already hunching over by the time he shut the cabin door.

“Posture, now. Backpack on properly.” Will was touching him all of a sudden, forcing his shoulders back despite his pain being clear on his face. But when the healer’s hand shifted to touch skin for an instant, he froze.

“Those aren’t healing right, are they? The ― scratch things.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Nico said quietly, slipping the backpack off entirely and carrying it by its handle as Will pulled away entirely. “Lycaon wasn’t gentle about them, though.”

“We’ll treat them as soon as we get there, Death Boy. Promise.” Nico glared at the healer for an instant, but it was hard to be angry when the blond was all smiles, skipping ahead like a child. Nico had no choice but to follow close behind, shaking his head. Crushing was difficult.

When the pair made it to the Big House, Nico looked at the staircase warily as he felt sweat drip down his forehead, the summer heat still overwhelming. “I’m not sure if I…”

Will turned to Nico, already standing on the porch. “Too tired?”

“Yeah.”

Immediately, the healer ran back down the steps. “Chiron’s wheelchair ramp is at the back. There’s an elevator. Sorry, I should have thought.”

“No, no! It’s fine!” Nico said, already following Will to the back.

“Except it’s not, because there’s a gods-damn reason why the ADA was made and I’m not about to be the one getting lectured.”

“ADA?” Nico asked.

Will paused at the base of the ramp. “Americans with Disabilities Act. I’ll clarify once we make sure you’re stable, Death Boy.”

“Sure, Sunshine,” Nico muttered, shoving past to go up the ramp.

“Ooh, I like it!” Will said. “I’ll keep working on yours.”

“What, the nickname?”

“Yes, the nicknames. Obviously. Now let’s get you inside and see if anything’s gotten worse since the battle, since I know nothing’s improved.”

Nico sighed, but opened the door to the Big House and let Will lead him to the elevator. But as the doors shut, he felt his breathing catch.

“Percy told me about the jar, Nico,” Will said quietly. “The elevator doesn’t take long. Plus, you aren’t alone, and I swear on the Styx I’m not feeding you pomegranate _anything_ until you feel up to it.”

The doors slid open.

“Okay,” Nico said.

At first glance, the infirmary was nothing special: the hall was lined with a dozen or so beds, just enough space in between for Chiron’s wheelchair. Or, Nico thought, to carry a stretcher. He shuddered at the thought.

“Yeah, that’s what a lot of people say,” Will muttered before pointing all around. “Three exam rooms to your left, one library slash office slash healer nap space next to them, one operating room in the back in case anyone’s injured bad enough that we have to combine mortal medicine and the godly stuff to take care of it. All that work was two days ago, though. Most of those people are back to light training now.”

“Then why am I stuck here for three days?” Nico whined.

“Because I’ve pried most of your problems out of everyone else and there’s not a chance you’ll be nearly recovered by then. And Hazel is leaving before then, so you’ve got nobody to spot for you and warn me if you get worse.” Will waved to one of the other healers, then opened the door to the nearest exam room. “Come on, Death Boy. Let’s see if the stories are true.”

“Who was the worst snitch?” Nico asked, dropping his backpack just inside the door and slumping into the nearest chair.

“Jason, actually.”

“Oh, stabbed-with-an-Imperial-gold-sword-and-only-recovered-by-sheer-mind-powers Jason?”

“Wait, what?” Will asked, turning to look at Nico with a gleam in his eye.

“I’ll give you blackmail if you’ll let me leave early.”

“Except that’s not happening and you already know it.” Will paused, then smiled. “I’ll give you candy.”

Nico laughed, then spilled the beans on Jason and Percy’s misadventures as he had heard about them in the last couple of days and on the Argo II for so long before. “Annabeth’s ankle isn’t healed. Piper’s shoulder acts up sometimes. Frank got shot with an arrow and didn’t want to bother letting it heal.”

Will looked up from the notebook where he was scribbling every word Nico was saying. “What’s your favorite candy?”

Nico froze. Even after years of learning to function in the modern world, he couldn’t help but pine for the same things.

“Nico, here and now.”

“Sorry.”

“I don’t want one more sorry out of you, Skeletor,” Will said with a smile.

“Skeletor?”

“Add that to the list of things I owe you an explanation for.” He turned back to the cabinet. “Shirt off, would you? I’m serious about the candy, though. I’ll find whatever it is.”

“There’s this old kind of taffy, Mary Janes.”

Will snorted. “You’re not the only one. My brother Austin loves them.”

Nico smiled. “Pretty sure he wasn’t alive when Charles Miller was making them.”

Will didn’t flinch. “Percy told me about that, Nico. Good luck surprising me.”

“Aw, come on!” Nico said, struggling with the buttons on the shirt. “Is he that much of a snitch?”

“Apparently so,” Will said dryly, turning back. “Can you manage that?”

“Give me a minute.”

“Skeletor, it’s my job to help when you can’t manage it.” Will stepped closer, then knelt down next to him. “I’m not touching without permission, but I’m here if you need it.”

Nico paused, his fingers cramping with his coordination as poor as it was. “You don’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

“Then please.”

Will was slow to move, but he easily undid the buttons Nico couldn’t get, starting at the bottom and working his way up. He eased Nico’s frame forward to slip the shirt off his arms. Nico made what effort he could to help, but as the fabric slid over Reyna’s stitches, he hissed.

“Infection,” Will muttered. “I’m going to undo those in a minute.” Carefully, he lifted the shirt fabric past the claw marks, then dropped the shirt and stood up. “Come sit over here, Skeletor. I’ll take care of all that.”

Nico hesitantly stood. “Will, keep in mind that I’m from the thirties.”

“Yes, and?”

“Doctors were kind of assholes.”

“Then I’ll do my best not to be,” Will said, patting the exam table beside him. “Now come on, Nico. Those stitches aren’t good, and I need the light to fix this. Who did them, anyway?"

“Reyna.”

“Did she bother to clean the areas out first?” Will muttered as Nico sat down in the brightest area of the room, still nervous.

“We hardly had any water to drink, Will. We didn’t have enough to bother cleaning out every little scratch.”

“Then I reserve the right to whine about it.” Will turned back to the cabinet behind him for a moment, pulling out a plastic-wrapped kit.

“What is that?” Nico asked, leaning away.

“Just gauze, bandages. I’m not shutting those again while they’re still infected. Do you want something for the pain?”

Nico shrugged, watching the healer’s every move. “I don’t want it to mess with my head.”

“I can use a local anesthetic,” Will offered.

Nico looked at him blankly.

“Numbing cream. It should work well enough that you won’t feel the surface, at least.”

Nico sighed. “This goes way deeper than that.”

“I can inject that kind of thing, Nico. We’ll manage.”  
“Will, why do you care?”

“Because of this,” he said, pointing to a red line working its way from the worst scratch on Nico’s left arm toward his shoulder. “This is an infection, Skeletor, and you’ve got about two hours before _that_ is messing with your head. We can take stock of everything else after I finish this, alright?”

Neither moved for a minute. Will was holding Nico’s gaze as carefully as he held his arm, forcing him to understand the risk of refusing treatment for even so simple an injury.

“Tis but a scratch,” Nico said quietly. “But I don’t want my arms falling off.”

Will smiled, pulling away. “Good ol’ Monty Python. Let me grab the pain meds, Skeletor.”

“You still owe me an explanation about where that comes from,” Nico grumbled as Will ripped open another plastic package.

“How are you with animated movies?” 

“Love them.”

“And comics?”

“Will, I played Mythomagic,” Nico deadpanned.

“Then you’ll love it. We can watch it later.”

 _We?_ Nico wondered. He didn’t want to deal with Will, not when so much of his pain came from loving men and knowing that only by luck did he end up in a time where that was accepted. But at the exact same time, he knew he wanted to watch whatever it was with Will sitting by his side.

Will’s fingers pressed the edge of the worst scratch for an instant before Nico felt a sting. “Just injecting the local anesthetic,” the healer muttered, adjusting his position and repeating the process. “I’d do this by way of prayer, but that tends to require a base level of health.”

His hand never moved from the scratches on Nico’s left arm until the entire area was numb. “I think you’re good,” Nico finally said, shifting his weight.

“Awesome,” Will said happily. “You can lie down, alright? I’ll get these out. The other side doesn’t look as bad.”

“That side bled more, but it really didn’t hurt that much,” Nico said, swinging his legs up and lying down. “Reyna was worried something would catch the scent of blood if she didn’t close them.”

“Can’t say I blame her,” Will admitted. He cut the stitches with practiced ease, sliding them out from the skin without a word.

When he moved to the opposite side, Nico flinched. “Doesn’t it need the stuff?”

“Only if it’s hurting too much not to use it,” Will said, holding still. “Up to you.”

After a moment’s thought, Nico shook his head. “Just get it over with. It’ll hurt no matter what.”

Will sighed audibly, but nodded. He worked fast to remove the stitches. Nico felt the burn of each one through the yet-unhealed flesh, but he didn’t move until Will pulled away.

“I’m cleaning them now, alright? It might not hurt any more than that did, and I’m sorry if it does.”

Nico hardly had time to brace himself before the water hit the still sensitive scratches. He hissed, curling his right hand into a fist.

“You can say fuck, you know.”

“Fuck this.”

“Sentiment appreciated,” Will said, “but it’s nearly done. Just got to repeat it on the numb side once I’ve used some nectar on these. We’ll keep them covered. They should heal fine, given a few weeks.”

“Weeks?” Nico asked, startled.

“I’ll only have to change the bandages once every few days once they’re scabbed over, Skeletor. Plenty of chances to come up with more nicknames.”

“I can’t do it that long,” Nico said quietly as Will poured the nectar over the scratches. “I just can’t.”

“I know the feeling, Nico, but would you rather have bad scarring?”

“Will, I can’t,” Nico insisted, struggling to sit up.

“Hey, hey. I get it, Neeks.” Will put his arm across Nico’s chest, forcing him to lie back down. “I get the hatred of anything remotely medical. But I need a reason to practice my bedside manner with reluctant patients, alright?”

“What does it even matter to you?” Nico said, tears threatening to fall.

“Because I have to put up with the most annoying doctors, Nico. Because I’m trans and I have to deal with their stupidity four times a year just to get permission to take testosterone.”

Nico had heard the word trans around camp pretty often, in reference to a few different campers. He knew what it meant. But he’d never heard Will mentioned in those conversations, He didn’t want to make Will mad by saying the wrong thing, so he stuck with the simple response.

“How annoying do they get?" 

“They call me a girl, still. A lot of them do that.” Will said it as a fact, his emotions hidden away entirely. “I’ve been on testosterone for a year and a half, puberty blockers before that. Chiron arranged for me to start pretty early for the sake of avoiding anything messing with me.” Will smiled, then said, “Mr. D also has a standing threat against all my mortal doctors if they refuse me treatment.”

“Mr. D?” Nico asked, surprised.

“Patron god of all the wonderful trans people in the world.” Will smiled again, a genuine one, before cleaning out the numbed scratches with water. “Damned infection is spreading."

“It doesn’t feel so bad,” Nico said.

Will glared at him. “That’s what worries me about this, Nico. This isn’t good. Now hold still and let me heal this, alright?”

Nico nodded, relaxing to what extent he could with the healer’s hands on his injuries. The ceiling was bare white, however, so the not-fidgeting didn’t last long.

But Will’s humming was faintly familiar, a song Nico couldn’t place. The words were all wrong, Ancient Greek sung instead of the actual lyrics. The tune must have been from his years in the Lotus Casino.

Eventually, Will pulled away. “It’ll heal. Let me put some nectar on it, Nico, and then we can get a move on.”

Nico nodded, still wondering about the song.

Will was a quick worker, finishing the deeper scratches in record time. Nico could feel the nectar this time, despite the pain meds, so he assumed whatever prayer Will had used was working somehow. It wasn’t painful; it was just there.

“Ready for the rest of the exam?” Will asked finally, stepping back. “I want to wait to cover those until I’m sure there’s no more infection, but we can move on for now.”

“I guess,” Nico muttered, sitting up. “What else do we have to get through?”

Will smiled, turning away. “Just the normal exam stuff, Skeletor. It shouldn’t hurt too much.”

Nico nodded.

“List everything that’s happened to you,” the healer said, picking up a clipboard with a sticker on the back. All Nico could make out was a bone with a few words written next to it, but it piqued his curiosity.

“First off, what does that say?” he asked.

Will looked up, noticing Nico’s line of sight. He held the clipboard up.

_I Found This Humerus._

“I hadn’t realized you enjoyed puns that much,” Nico muttered.

“Apollo kid things, I guess. Jason’s not bad with them, but I feel like that’s just because he speaks Latin.”

“We speak Greek.”

“Well, yes, but not well enough to be making bilingual puns.”

“Tear a sheet of paper,” Nico said.

“What?”

“Do it.”

Will tore the corner off the top sheet on his clipboard without another thought. “What now?”

“Euripides.”

Nico watched as Will’s face went from confused to outraged and finally to amazed. “That was a good one,” he admitted.

“That’s not the full thing,” Nico admitted. “That’s just what fit into the situation.”

Will shook his head, still smiling. “Back to business. What hurts?”

“Everything.”

“Go by events, then. Just start listing stuff that I might not know about.”

“I tipped backward in my chair onboard the Argo II and hit my head,” Nico said quietly, half laughing at his own clumsiness.

Will scribbled frantically for a moment, then paused. “Concussion?”

“What?”

“Is it a concussion?”

Nico stared at him blankly. “I’m a native Italian speaker, Will. Any English word you’d more expect people to just understand, I probably won’t get. Like, at all.”

Will paused, biting his lip. “I’m not good at Italian, but I think I’m passable in an emergency. _Danno cerebrale_.”

“ _Non si preoccupi_ ,” Nico responded in an instant. “I think my headache is more from the lack of food or sleep.”

Will paused again, his face contorting in a way Nico couldn’t help but think of as adorable. “I’m not that fast on the uptake, Skeletor. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nico translated.

Will nodded. “I’ll assume that’s what it meant and not what I’m supposed to do. Because that’s still probably a concussion, and I should really go hit myself because I let you fight with a concussion. Now what else?”

“Exhaustion. Again, probably from lack of sleep, but it’s been happening since the jar.”

Will sighed. “And the food thing.”

“The food thing,” Nico echoed. “I like avocado.”

“So that’s why you got to come to the twenty-first century,” Will muttered. “The avocado toast.”

“What?” Nico asked, genuinely confused.

“Internet things. I sneak in as much time as I can spare when I’m at camp. Chiron doesn’t fight it too much if we’re inside the boundary.” Will smiled, shaking his head. “How much have you had to eat in the past week?"

Nico hesitated. “Not much.”

“The dining pavilion exists, Nico.”

“The dining pavilion has people,” he deadpanned.

Will looked at him oddly. “Fair enough, Nico. What else?”

“I mean, how much detail do you want?” Nico asked.

“Everything.”

“I have a sunburn. Reyna was lending me her hair tie until that happened but she told me to keep it covered once the sunburn got bad.”

Will shook his head. “I’ll take care of it. Keep going, Nico. We’ll figure everything out.”

Nico sighed. “My hands hurt because of some of the work I was doing, climbing ropes. That was how we got away from Lycaon, actually.”

“Impressive,” Will said, putting down the clipboard and gesturing for Nico’s hand. When he saw the red line, Nico could tell he was tempted to heal it straight away, but the healer paused. “Can I take care of this?” he asked, glancing up.

“Nectar doesn’t do that much for me.”

“I’ve noticed. It barely took care of the infection, never mind the actual scratches. But I can wash these for now and treat them tonight.”

Nico nodded, and Will pulled away. But after a moment, he asked, “How bad will it sting?”

“Hopefully not bad. I’ll do what I can to keep it from getting worse.” Will opened a water bottle, then gestured for Nico’s hands. “Just using a few drops until I can tell how bad they are.”

“Nothing was ripped, Will. They’ll heal.”

“But I can take away the stress of waiting for them to heal, Nico. So I’d like to take away that stress if I can.” Will poured just a couple of drops onto Nico’s hands, then put the bottle down and muttered another prayer under his breath.

Nico watched as the healer’s eyes fluttered shut, as he tried to find the source of the pain. It only took a minute for Will to have the rope burns traced, the small blisters on Nico’s left hand marked off by Will’s thumb.

“Nico,” he asked as his eyes opened, “can I just put some cream on these?”

“Cream?”

Will smiled. “A burn gel, to take care of the redness and blisters. I just put it on a bandage. Super fast, Nico.”

He sighed. “I guess you can?”

“I don’t want to push, Nico,” Will said, not moving.

“Me being here is pushing it, Will. I can’t deal with this when it’s everything hurting, but having people around is seriously too much.”

Will just looked at Nico. “Then I think I have a plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews appreciated! Writing fuel!


	2. I've Come to Talk with You Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the other daily updates will be slightly shorter than the first; I think the first chapter of each day in the infirmary is liable to be a great deal longer.
> 
> Mental health is discussed in great depth in this chapter; proceed with caution if it's a touchy subject for you right now.

###  **Chapter Two: I’ve Come to Talk With You Again**

 

“So what we’re going to do is we’re going to start treating the cuts and burns and concussion and everything else, but I’m focusing on your mental state as much as I can. Because if Jason managed to heal himself from a sword wound by the power of his mind, then maybe there’s something there for you, too, being a kid of the Big Three and all.”

Nico watched as Will rummaged around in the cabinet, finally producing another plastic package and a pair of gloves. “What’s all that stuff for?”

“I’m just taking a couple vials of blood to get everything figured out,” Will explained. “Your skin should not be this pale, and I know you’ve been fighting and losing blood, so I’m doing as little as I can in this regard. But since you’ve hardly eaten and you have this kind of mental stuff happening―”

“None of the shadow stuff is mental.”

“Prove it. We’ll get through two weeks of medication to suit whatever symptoms you’re showing, and we’ll use some therapy while we’re at it to gauge where you are mentally. If there’s no improvement, Nico, you can back out. But two weeks of that stuff.”

“Three days.”

Will paused. “I’ll let you out with only once-a-week therapy after the three days if you’ll give me a way, right now, to help your mental state the rest of the time.”

Nico froze, but Will’s words forced him to think. “I mean, I hate people, but I just really don’t want to be alone. It makes me so angry, because I know Bianca or Hazel or at least someone should be with me. And I lost my sister and my other one’s leaving me and there’s nothing I could do then and Percy failed and I hate it!”

“Then some time alone, but not training alone?” Will asked quietly. “Maybe meals with someone?”

“Who would want to?” Nico asked, glaring.

“I would.”

Nico paused. “Austin wouldn’t ―”

“No one minds, Nico. I already asked everyone else. I was planning on including that as part of the treatment anyway, because I don’t want you alone for that long. Three meals a day. You’re sitting with the Apollo cabin.”

“Chiron will never let me.”

“I can write you a doctor’s note,” Will said with a smile. “Chiron won’t dare to fight that.”

Nico rolled his eyes, but he was holding back a laugh. Will had thought of absolutely everything.

“I’ll sit with you. But I really don’t understand why I have to do all this other stuff. It won’t help.”

Will suddenly looked at him, then groaned and facepalmed. “Is that under the assumptions you grew up with?”

Nico smiled as he realized what Will was saying. “Has it really changed that much?”

“We have ways to fix stuff with mortal medicine, Nico. We can mess around with that to a certain extent and see what works best to stabilize your powers. Medicine has literally gotten to the point now where there’s something for every part of your body. I can give you medicine to stop the panicking, the stuff Reyna was worried about. I can probably control the worst of your fading with medicine to help you focus. If Jason was able to stop his injury by thinking of healing, then we might be able to stop your fading that way. That’s all that matters there. Alright?”

Nico stared for a second as he processed the new information. “Okay,” he finally said.

“Awesome,” Will said. “I’m just going to get a physical done before we start the therapy, if you don’t mind.”

“Physical?” Nico asked.

“An exam,” Will said. He gestured to the wall behind Nico, a set of tools hanging there. “I know you’re not used to this, at all, but I’ve gotten six year olds through it when they first got to camp, and that’s hard. I’m willing to give this a shot if you’re up for it.”

Nico sighed. “Might as well.”

“No, Nico,” Will said firmly. “Do you have the energy, or would you rather wait until tomorrow, when we’ve got some stuff healed?”

Nico only looked at him. “I have a choice?”

“You deserve the right to choose, Nico,” Will said. “But if it helps, I’m fine with waiting, because it’ll probably be more accurate if I just do a pass with my abilities tonight and heal what I can first.”

Nico nodded. “That. Tomorrow.”

Will smiled. “Awesome. Do you read English alright, or are you dyslexic to the point of it being impossible?”

“I read Italian passably. English still trips me up, even though I can speak it fine,” Nico explained, watching as Will scribbled on the clipboard. 

“Then it’s easier for me to ask you the questions aloud.” Will looked up. “A lot of these won’t even count as mental health questions, because your physical health is frankly pitiful right now, but I’m going to answer them all myself as well because you’re not alone in any of this. For example, yes, I am exhausted right now and have been for months.”

Nico only nodded. 

"I tend to have a hard time falling asleep at night, which can also be depression in action," Will explained. "Do you have that, or trouble sleeping for more than a couple hours?"

"Both," Nico whispered, looking down at his feet where they hung over the edge of the exam table.

All of a sudden, he felt a weight by his side. Will was pressed up against him, shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, swinging his legs all around. "I don't have too much actual thought about my emotional state, but everyone says I get cranky in an instant if I don't succeed at something important, which is yet another sign. It can happen over nothing, even."

"But you're not embarrassed about it?" Nico asked, confused, as he pulled his legs up and hugged his knees.

"It's just part of my life, Skeletor," Will said. "That's part of being trans in an unaccepting world. You? Any trouble with good thoughts, or anyone say you're more grumbly than you normally are?"

"I'm not around enough people to know," Nico said quietly. "And when I am, it tends to be because we're in the middle of a battle."

Will looked him in the eye. "Then what about yourself?"

"I don't know what normal is, Will. I've always felt this way, pretty much as long as I can remember."

"Pretty much? Then when did it start?" the healer asked.

"Bianca."

Will took a moment to breathe, then said, "You were grieving, Nico. That's natural. It's when it goes on for too long that there's a problem. Lee and Michael, the two head counselors before me, both died in battle. It doesn't help my mental health."

Nico shuddered slightly, thinking of all the people he felt die during the Battle of the Labyrinth and then in Manhattan. "Too much," he whispered.

"Exactly." Will put one arm around Nico's shoulders cautiously, then squeezed. "I'm going to call it depression right here, alright? I don't doubt that the diagnosis is accurate at this point."

"Okay," Nico said. "But I still don't get how that's going to fix my brain at all."

"Because it's not just depression, Nico," Will explained patiently. "It's PTSD. It's shell shock."

Nico froze at the words, his stomach sinking. "Shell shock is what soldiers get."

"And you were a soldier, Nico. You were one in Manhattan. I know your memories are really recent and they're bothering you a lot, but this checklist is all about older stuff, alright? I want stuff that happened more than a month ago."

"I'm not just telling you random stuff about my life, Will. I don't even remember a lot of it."

"I understand, Nico," the healer said. "But just answer the questions, please? Try it?"

"Fine."

Will smiled at him. "Thanks."

Nico only shrugged.

"So, first off: how often do you have thoughts about your past that you really don't want to think about?"

"Constantly."

"And how bad was it before this most recent battle?" Will asked, pen poised over the clipboard.

"I don't know. A little less?" 

"Still a lot?" the healer confirmed, scribbling on the page in barely legible Greek.

"Every day," Nico said.

"Good to know. Did it upset you a lot?"

"Will, my fatal flaw is holding grudges. Everything upsets me."

Will nodded. "Makes sense. We'll figure this out. Next question, Skeletor: before this battle, did you ever have dreams about the memories, or flashbacks while you were awake?"

"Only with changes to what happened," Nico said, confused.

"That's alright, Nico," Will explained. "That's just a sign of shell shock. The changes are your brain trying to help you cope. Post-traumatic stress is not good."

"Understatement of the twenty-first century right there."


	3. Because A Vision Softly Creeping

###  **Chapter Three: Because A Vision Softly Creeping**

 

Will was cautious, Nico could tell, as he presented the first few sheets of paper on the clipboard. 

“These don’t take too many words, and it’s the same stuff every day, so I figure you can get used to it pretty fast. My sister Kayla’s way better at mental health stuff than I am, but I get it if you’d rather stick with me for now,” Will rambled as Nico stared at the chart on the page.

“I’m alright with her, Will,” Nico said. “You wouldn’t suggest it unless it could help.” And Nico knew it was true, that he could trust Will with that at the very least. By trusting Will, he figured trusting Kayla was worth a shot.

The smile on Will’s face made taking the risk worth it. “Awesome, Nico. I can go get her, or else you can come pick a bed and you two can sort everything out once your stuff is there.”

“I just have a blanket, Will. Not like I need to unpack or anything.”

Will’s face changed from cheer to disdain in an instant. “Just a blanket?”

“I never really needed more than that,” Nico muttered.

“You deserved more than that,” Will said quietly.

Nico only shrugged.

“Let’s go get you set up, still,” Will said, standing up and offering Nico a hand. “I’ve saved you the corner bed, just to keep you away from most of the other people. No Hermes kids near you.”

Nico smiled, standing with Will’s help. “Thanks. Really.”

“I’m doing what I can, Nico. Nothing much.”

The pair walked silently through the infirmary, Will carrying Nico’s bag. Kayla was waiting by the bed, a small table beside it. Nico knew her from training; that didn’t mean he liked her as a person. But as Will put down the backpack and handed Kayla the clipboard, Nico saw him smile again, a look full of hope.

“Hi, Kayla,” Nico said.

“Hey,” she said, entirely calm. Will had obviously briefed all the healers on Nico’s state before he arrived. “You ready to try to sort through some of the shit in your head?”

Nico glanced at Will, then sat down on the edge of the bed. “I guess.”

“Will, Austin was having trouble with inventory,” Kayla said quietly, sitting down beside Nico. She left space between them, though.

“I’ll get it done, Kay.” Will hurried off, not sparing an instant to look at Nico. 

Nico looked at the clipboard, noticing the chart again. “What’s that?”

“It’s a journal,” Kayla said. “You fill it out with whatever thoughts are bugging you, and you use it to help you find a positive equivalent. Here.”

Nico took the clipboard from her, accepting the pencil. The page had five columns, each with a typed line at the top.

“S,” he muttered, feeling his American accent slipping. “Sit…”

“Can you read?” Kayla asked.

“Not easily. I’m Italian. English makes no sense to me without a huge amount of time to figure it out.”

He saw Kayla stiffen. “I don’t think we have any Italian sheets, sorry. But I can tell you what they say, and you can write down the translations, if you think that would help.”

“Definitely.”

“Situation is the first column,” she said, happy to have the problem resolved. “Basically, what happened that caused the thoughts to mess up.”

“What about when there aren’t thoughts?” Nico asked, looking up at her without bothering to write a single letter.

“When there aren’t thoughts?” Kayla echoed, obviously confused.

“When something happens and I don’t have time to think, just to do something.”

“That’s what therapy itself is for,” Kayla said. “The basic purpose of therapy is to bring the threshold for action to a manageable level. For us, as demigods, it’s a different level than it would be for mortals, but we can at the very least learn to calm down faster after something happens to us. That can keep more monsters from coming after us, too, which can be useful.”

“That actually sounds like it might work,” Nico said, holding in his excitement. He didn’t want to seem too childish around the healers.

“I know, right?” Kayla said happily, not hiding her own emotions. “You’ve still got to try the chart, because otherwise Chiron’s going to yell at all us healers for not giving you all the possible resources to heal, but if it needs to wait then so be it.”

“Yeah,” Nico said quietly. “Wait until I’ve got at least some of this figured out.”

“Sounds good!” Kayla said, undoing the page from the clipboard and bringing up the next. 

Nico could see Will’s notes scrawled, nearly unreadable, across the various lines.  _ Danno cerebrale, _ he saw. But the line was printed, he could tell. 

“The a is wrong,” he muttered.

“What, Nico?” Kayla asked.

“Why is his a made wrong? He’s supposed to do it right. Isn’t he?”

“Nico,” Kayla sad gently, “I need you to explain yourself, please.”

He only pointed, finding words too difficult. But he could see only parts of his fingers.

His eyes shot to the window as the sun slipped behind the trees, plunging the room into shadow.

“No, no!” he said. “Questo non è buono.”

“Nico?” he heard Kayla say. “I need you to listen to me, alright? This is a panic attack, and it’s only going to make you worse.” He felt her weight slip off the bed, then saw her in front of him, kneeling. “You’re dissociating, and that’s going to make you feel like nothing is real or alright, but it is. Breathe, Nico, breathe.”

He couldn’t.

He felt his eyes dart to a patient just a few beds down, a patient who he could sense. A patient close to death, who he didn’t realize was so close when the sun was still shining. “Kayla,” he hissed with the last of his breath. “There.”

She turned to follow his gaze, then took his hands in hers. “I need you to show me, Nico. I can’t tell. Stand up, okay? Feel the floor. Bounce up and down a few times,” she said, holding his hands tightly as if that would keep him from dissolving once and for all.

He did as she said, finally able to take a single shaky breath. He didn’t take his eyes off the frail form in the bed, though, until Kayla suddenly pulled away from him and ran.

“Will, her reaction’s biphasic!” she yelled. “Get the epi!”

Nico only stood, watching, as Kayla took the girl’s pulse. Will was by her side in just a few seconds, pressing something to the patient’s leg. “Come on, come on!” Nico heard him mutter.

“Will, I’ve got her. Get Nico.”

Will looked up at Nico, seeing the look in his eyes. “Thank you,” he said, dropping the thing he was holding onto the bed and approaching Nico. “You gave us enough warning.”

“But no time for thought,” Nico said quietly, looking past Will to where Kayla was still working. “The girl didn’t have time to think. And neither did I.”

“How close is she, Nico?” Will asked quietly, stepping into his line of sight. “How hard is it going to be to save her?”

“It will be easy now,” he said, looking down at the floor. “But I can’t focus.”

“That’s alright, Nico. That’s why you’re here.” Will took Nico’s hands, more gentle than Kayla had been, to guide him back to the bed. But Nico squirmed away from the touch, walking with all his focus on staying upright.

“Nico,” Will finally asked, “how hard is it going to be to save you? Be it from your own thoughts or from whatever infection is worst, how bad is this?”

Nico only looked at him, not sure of the answer.


	4. Left Its Seeds While I Was Sleeping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly spoilery content note: refeeding syndrome is mentioned as a concern, but only in passing (twice) and by name only one of those times, and Nico is eating by the end of the chapter.

###  **Chapter Four: Left Its Seeds While I Was Sleeping**

 

Sitting down on his bed, Nico was left to wait.

Will had hurried back to Kayla’s side, the pair of them stabilizing the girl with a combination of nectar and mortal medicine. Nico couldn’t take his eyes off of them. He knew he wasn’t being rational, that the girl would be fine with everything they had done, but nothing they did felt like it would help. He didn’t feel as though anything was real.

When Will walked away, though, he didn’t walk back to Nico’s side. Nico didn’t have the strength to look to see where he went. He only hoped the healer wasn’t giving up on him or the girl a few beds down.

But Will was only out of sight for a minute before he walked back to Nico. “I got you something,” he said quietly. “Austin had some candy left over, alright? You can’t eat anything much until we get your electrolytes to normal levels, but this should help you get back to yourself.” Sitting down beside Nico, he pressed a wrapped candy into his hand.

Nico looked down, carefully unfolding the paper wrapper. Putting the piece of sugary candy in his mouth took effort, but the moment he tasted it, he was able to think.

He was in the infirmary. Everything would be fine.

“I understand,” Will was saying, “that you’ve seen death too much. So I get that panic attacks happen. But all I want to do is get you to the point where you can get the words out and recover on your own. Alright?”

Nico nodded slowly. “I’ll keep trying.”

“Thank you,” Will breathed, and Nico could feel him relax. 

“Hey, Will?” Austin called. Nico and Will both looked up.

“What do you need?” Will asked, hands braced on his knees as if he was ready to stand. Nico silently slipped one hand over Will’s, trying to convince him to stay.

“Did you get the blood tests done?” Austin asked, walking over. “I’ve got two hours left in my shift. I can run them before I go.”

“They’re still in the exam room,” Will said with a smile, holding Nico’s hand. “Got them while we were talking. Nico doesn’t have much fear of it.”

“At least there’s that,” Austin said. “The candy helping, Nico?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Nico said in response. “Good stuff.”

Austin punched the air happily. “I’ll take what I can get! What’s your next step, Will?”

“Get the exam done, get Nico to sleep.”

“But food?” Austin said, confused.

“There’s still a risk of refeeding,” Will said. “I want to go slow with that. Nico, what have you eaten in the past few days?”

“Peanut butter, avocado toast, not much else.”

“Any Gatorade?”

“Yeah, Coach Hedge has been bringing it by,” Nico said, confused.

“Austin, run the electrolyte test for me, but I’m more concerned about anemia,” Will said.

“You got it. See you guys in a little while,” Austin said, turning to head back to the exam rooms.

“What were you talking about?” Nico asked.

“Electrolytes. The stuff that keeps your body able to process food. Hedge was smart to give you the Gatorade, because it’s got enough electrolytes and sugar that your body was able to keep working.” Will suddenly smiled. “This is actually going to be easier.”

“Yay, I guess,” Nico said.

“Yes, yay, because once we have the blood tests run I can give you actual food. So what food do you want, Nico? And I’d suggest deciding fast,” Will said as he stood up and walked to the window. “Chiron just finished supervising training, so he’ll want to know what treatment looks like. I picked you up before dinner because I didn’t want you running the risk of getting sick from it, but he’ll get mad if I’m not getting you something, so I’m going to head down in the elevator to catch him. So what do you want?”

“Cheeseburger?” Nico said on instinct. “Extra bacon?”

Will snorted, running off already. “You got it,” he called back.

Nico watched him go, then laid down in the bed. It was only beginning to dawn on him how exhausted he was. But he knew he needed to stay awake for Will, so he unzipped the backpack Will had given him and pulled out his blanket.

“You want a better one?” Kayla asked as she walked over. 

Nico looked up. “No. This one’s mine. Had it too long now.”

Kayla smiled. “That’s fine. I think it needs to be washed, though, so we’ll get that done tomorrow when you’re in the shower.”

“Thanks, really,” Nico said. “And I’m sorry about before.”

“Dissociation happens,” Kayla said. “No one really minds. We all do it. Just because yours puts you at risk doesn’t mean anything besides needing to figure out the best way to stop it.”

Nico nodded slowly. “Thanks.”

“Welcome,” she said. “You have pajamas or anything? Comfy stuff?”

“I normally just sleep in my clothes,” he said.

“That’s not happening,” Kayla said, holding out a paper shopping bag Nico hadn’t noticed. “We’ve got clothes to spare, just in case.”

“But that kind of stuff costs a lot,” Nico breathed, nonetheless reaching out for the bag.

“It did during the thirties, yeah, but not anymore. We can get you up to date someday, but for now, just trust me? You need extra clothes.”

Nico happily pulled out the sweatpants and plain t-shirt, leaving the other clothes to be dealt with once he’d slept. “Where can I change?”

“You’re in control of the curtain,” Kayla said, reaching for it next to the wall. “Unless something bad starts to happen, this means you’re not to be disturbed. If you know we’ve got you scheduled to do something, though, don’t shut it all the way.”

“That’s fine,” Nico said. “I’m getting these on, but I want my bacon cheeseburger as soon as Will gets here.”

Kayla laughed, pulling the curtain shut for Nico and walking away.

As he tried to undo the buttons on his shirt once again, Nico realized how lucky he was to have Will around when the werewolf scratches were at their worst. Even though they’d been treated, every movement of his left arm upward brought with it shooting pain. Nico finally gave up on using both hands and struggled with the buttons with his right hand alone, then slid the cuffs over his hands and let the shirt drop.

By the time he finished getting changed, Nico could hear Will and Chiron talking a few beds down. “Kayla called me over the moment she knew,” Will said as Nico opened his curtain. “Nico gave us the warning.”

“Thank you, Mr. Di Angelo,” Chiron called, using his wheelchair.

“I didn’t even mean to,” Nico said quietly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. “I was having a bad time myself.”

“Yet you managed. And I think that’s reason enough for a few bites of a bacon cheeseburger,” the centaur said, tucking his wheelchair into the corner of the infirmary and stepping out carefully.

Will held up the paper-wrapped meal. “No fries or anything, not yet. Just half a burger, all the bacon that was on the full thing.”

Nico grabbed it happily, sitting down on his bed with Will by his side as Chiron checked on the other patients. Slowly, he made his way through the tiny meal, more than enough to make him feel full.

Will had been answering questions from Chiron while sitting with Nico, but when the centaur finally made his way over to the pair of them, Nico saw Will shrink away slightly.

“What progress so far?” Chiron asked.

“Ran blood tests. Austin should have the results soon. Cleaned out werewolf scratches. I haven’t had the chance to do an actual exam yet, because Nico was more in need of mental health support.”

“Eating before the blood tests are complete?” Chiron asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Coach Hedge was bringing me Gatorade,” Nico explained before Will had the chance to speak. “He needed a few minutes away from the baby.”

“Ah. That should work just fine, then,” Chiron said with a smile. “William, I would suggest keeping him hydrated with a healthier electrolyte drink if possible, but this should provide a good foundation for further treatment. Make sure to check his vitals before he goes to bed, but other than that, he should be fine.”

Will nodded as Chiron walked away, but he was smiling, finally. 

“Can I check now?” he asked. “Just quick?”

“The full exam?” Nico asked, confused. 

“We might as well, if you have the energy.” Will raised his eyebrows, leaving Nico with the option.

He shrugged, then echoed Will. “We might as well.”


	5. And the Vision that was Planted in my Brain

###  **Chapter Five: And the Vision that was Planted in my Brain**

 

“Do you really have to do this?” Nico asked.

“Are you going to panic if I don’t?” Will responded, slipping his stethoscope around his neck as he turned to Nico.

“I’m already trying,” Nico said.

Will smiled. “Then let me make this easier for you. I’ve done this for teenagers before, Nico, ones who’d been on the run for years. I’ve helped trans kids who’d avoided doctors for years before they got to camp. I can make this at least less of a problem, cut out anything I don’t absolutely need to get done.”

Nico held Will’s gaze. “I haven’t had proper medical care since the 1930s, Will. You’re going to have your work cut out for you.”

“I don’t mind, Nico.”

“Fine.”

Will smiled again as he walked over to the exam table where Nico sat. “Thank you for giving me at least a chance, Nico,” he said. “Now, easiest way to start is to just take your pulse and temperature. I can get a good gauge for the latter just from touch, if you’d rather limit yourself for now.”

“Yeah, best do that,” Nico said.

Will moved slowly, putting one hand against Nico’s forehead for a moment. When he pulled away, he tapped Nico’s wrist lightly as a warning, then wrapped his fingers around it. Nico just watched as Will counted the beats silently.

“Both are still high,” Will finally said.

“That’s bad?” Nico asked.

“It’s bad, but it’s also not a surprise,” Will explained. “The werewolf scratches were infected, and this is a common result. It just tells me I need to keep an eye on it. Easiest way to do that is to check your heart, actually.”

“With the thing around your neck?” Nico asked, gesturing.

“Yep, with my stethoscope. Can I sit next to you? It makes it easier if you have your shirt off, but I can manage either way.”

Nico nodded, feeling himself relax as Will helped him pull the shirt over his head. For some reason, it was impossible to be worried around Will. So as the healer sat by him and pressed the stethoscope to his chest, Nico only tried not to panic, because that would make Will sad.

When had he decided he didn't want to make Will sad?

"Heart isn't a total wreck," Will muttered, moving the stethoscope to Nico's back slowly. "We'll see about your breathing, but I think antibiotics and nectar should solve most of this pretty easily."

Will kept moving the stethoscope, telling Nico to take deep breaths, for another minute. "Are you still good, mentally?" he asked when he finished.

"Good enough," Nico said.

Will raised an eyebrow.

"No worse than I have been."

"Then I'll count that as a success. Can I have your arm?" Will asked, standing up and reaching for something from the tools on the wall. "I'm guessing your blood pressure is probably a wreck, given how little care you've given your body."

"Maybe," Nico said, but he didn't understand what Will was saying, and he didn’t offer his arm.

It only took the healer a moment to notice. "Low blood pressure can be a sign of an immune response to a systematic infection, or else a sign of lost blood. Extremely low blood pressure is known as shock. That's what Lou Ellen was dealing with earlier."

"The girl?"

"Yeah. Bee sting caused an allergic reaction which came back a few hours later. In your case," Will said, gesturing once more for Nico's arm, "we want to make sure the infection is under control and you haven't lost too much blood fighting the war. We know you’re anemic from the blood test, so there’s more risk in low blood pressure because it could lead to more problems."

"So you use whatever that thing is to measure it?" Nico asked, still confused. 

"I do. I just wrap this around your arm and listen," Will explained. "I'm just surprised that you've never even had this done. This was a thing in the thirties, Skeletor."

"Even when I was a kid, my mother really worked to avoid taking me or Bianca to doctors, because Hades was worried that any word of our existence would be enough to have us killed." Nico didn't bother to add that he was right.

Will seemed to understand, though. "That's fine, Nico. I should probably switch to the smaller cuff for you, considering how small you are, shouldn't I?" he muttered to himself. "I don't want to overestimate, though."

After a moment's debate, Will looked at Nico. "You're tiny," he said, nearly laughing. "I'm switching it to the children's cuff."

Nico smiled. "Fair enough." Eventually, Will was able to get the reading, putting the stethoscope against Nico's arm for just long enough that Nico began to worry.

"It is low," Will said. "Not as bad as it could be, though."

"That's good, right?" Nico asked. "Less of a problem."

"You've still got plenty of problems, Nico. I'm not letting you get away with this lack of care much longer. Now, considering the pretty much guaranteed concussion, I'm really excited to see what the result will be with your light sensitivity, but I also have to wonder how much of that would be from you being a literal child of darkness and hell."

"I don't mind the light," Nico said.

"And I don't want to wreck all your faith in me by testing your light sensitivity and having you react badly when I've still got more of the exam to get done. Lie down, alright? I'm just checking to see if any old injuries are still bad or anything."

"I can tell you that about as easily," Nico grumbled, but he did as Will asked.

Will smiled. "Yet I'm the one with healing powers. I'm going to give you the choice here, okay? I can do it the mortal way, which hurts if there's an injury, or the powered way, which itches like nobody's business the entire time."

"Mortal," Nico said in an instant. "I can tell you where most of the problems are, easy."

Will pressed his hands to the werewolf scratches. "I can see them, Nico, trust me."

"Fine, then."

Will's hands drifted to Nico's stomach, pressing down just long enough that Nico could tell something was wrong. "Atrophy," Will said. "Disuse. The jar, most likely. And the fact that you haven't eaten much isn't helping." His hands shifted, enough pressure against Nico's chest that he felt something shift. "Fractured ribs from fighting," Will confirmed. "I'm not liking this."

"Then fine, Will," Nico said, instinctively pulling away despite his best efforts to the contrary. "Use your powers."

"I'm nearly done, Nico," Will said. "Just checking for further atrophy in your legs, any other signs of problems. I don't even need to do it too hard." To prove his point, he only ran his hands over Nico's legs, quickly finishing and grabbing the clipboard.

"All's to be expected," he muttered. "Nothing impossible to treat. Probably some nerve trouble from the way your body's been forced to survive over the past few years, but I can at least keep it from getting worse."

"So I'm good?" Nico asked. 

"I haven't checked your eyes yet," Will said, looking up. "I know it's not worth trying to get much of a look, because that wouldn't end well for either of us, but I've got a penlight."

"Go quick," Nico said.

Yet the dim light was still enough that he flinched when it hit his right eye, and his flinch was enough that Will saw it.

"Light sensitivity, check," he said. "Concussion confirmed."

"It's not that bad, Will, honestly," Nico said.

"Except it is, because brain damage is no laughing matter and I think you know that, Nico. Now, I'm going to go tell Chiron really quick, but your job is to go lay in your bed and think about how you can keep this from happening again, because Chiron does not treat concussions as a laughing matter."

"And then what?" Nico asked.

"Then, you're going to sleep, because I give up, okay? I need to run a full check on you, with my powers, and that's about a thousand times easier to get done if you're already out cold."

Will walked out without another word to Nico, who was starting to worry himself.


	6. Still Remains Within

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the slightly late and short update; dysphoria plus a migraine kept me from focusing on writing most of the day.

###  **Chapter Six: Still Remains Within…**

 

When Nico finally worked up the courage to put his shirt back on and walk the short distance back to his bed, he expected eyes on him from the healers. What he didn’t expect was for Kayla to smile, hand him another paper bag, and walk away.

He opened the bag, confused. Inside was a reading book and a pack of Mythomagic cards, still unopened. Lying atop them was a note from Will in barely legible handwriting:  _ Might be a little while because Chiron’s busy with a newbie. Mythomagic for tomorrow. Told Kayla to put a good book in the bag for you. Also told her not to give you Harry Potter, because I want to see your face. (Austin knows enough Italian for emergencies. Sorry this is in English.) _

Nico smiled, walking to his bunk as he pulled out the book. The cover was black, hands holding an apple.

He opened to the first page as he sat down. Kayla had put a sticky note over the first few lines, her handwriting no better than Will’s:  _ I don’t care if you think you know how bad  _ Twilight _ is. It’s worth reading to see for yourself. And the author never uses hard words, so give it a try. _

Nico laughed, lying down and working his way through the first page slowly. When he flipped to the second page, he was startled to see Will standing at the end of the bed.

“That’s what she gave you?”

“It’s already kind of hilarious,” Nico said as he shut the book.

“I mean, you’re not wrong,” Will muttered, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Anyway, Chiron wants me to wait until you’re asleep or close to it before I start my scan, because I really need more practice with no conscious input. If you’re up for it, I can put you to sleep in the next few minutes, or else give you medicine to help the process along.”

Nico hesitated. “What’s got the lowest likelihood of dreams?”

“That won’t work for tonight, sadly,” Will said. “I need whatever dreams happen as a clue to your mental state. One last night of them, Nico? I’ll wake you up if it gets dangerous, I promise.”

The look on Will’s face was indescribable. It was hope; it was sorrow; it was wishing that none of Nico’s troubles had to be.

“You do it,” Nico finally said. “Powers.”

Will smiled. “Thank you. Go ahead, get comfortable. I’ll wait.”

So Nico pulled his ratty, monster-torn blanket from the backpack Will had given him, then laid down with the fabric held tight in his fists. He knew he wouldn’t be able to relax without Will.

Yet the healer just sat by Nico, never reaching to touch him. “I’m ready,” Nico finally said, hoping he didn’t sound like he was lying altogether.

Will put one hand over Nico’s, then said a phrase in Greek. “Sleep,” he finished.

And Nico felt his eyes slip shut.

Yet he could still hear Will, feel the light touch as the healer murmured about “nerve damage” and “adhesions”. He could tell when Will’s hands rested on his shoulders that there was still something wrong with the scratches.

“Sleep, Nico,” Will finally repeated. And Nico heard and felt no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where I'll be taking a few days to get the next section of the story started and planned. If I'm not back by Monday, someone yell at me in the comments, please.


	7. In Restless Dreams I Walked Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daily updates should be resuming! (I may miss Friday; family event. I'll still be trying.)

###  **Chapter Seven: In Restless Dreams I Walked Alone**

 

Will stood up and stretched, his mind racing. Nico wasn’t doing well; he had known that earlier, but it was only beginning to hit him now, at three in the morning, how badly hurt the dark-haired boy really was.

Anemia. Blood loss. Those were the easiest to fix, he reminded himself. Blood transfusion, given the extent of the trouble, followed by iron-rich foods for the foreseeable future. But that would wait until Nico woke up in the morning and could consent, since it wasn’t an absolute necessity.

At least Coach Hedge had thought of electrolytes. Otherwise, Will could tell, Nico would already be dead from dehydration and starvation combined. As it was, the next few days would be critical to getting him back on the track to health, because his muscles were atrophied from the lack of nutrition.

As Will touched Nico’s head one last time, checking on the state of the concussion, he felt something strange with his powers. Blood? Maybe. Nico’s circulatory system was enough of a wreck that Will knew he’d have to keep an eye on it for a while, but as he pulled away, Will was already reaching for the clipboard to write down  _ possible cerebral contusion, no significant swelling present as of initial discovery. _ He wrote the date and time next to the line as a reminder to himself to keep checking, just in case anything got worse.

Then, with a glance at Nico’s face, Will grabbed a spare blanket, folded it into a triangle, and dropped it on the floor. He knelt down, hands on Nico’s bed, and prayed.

“My father, life-giver. Hear me.” That was the customary part, the part Will had never really felt was an actual part of the prayer. It was the cabin’s words. It wasn’t his.

So he paused, then started again. “Hey, Dad. Listen, okay? Because I kind of like Nico. And we’ve had this discussion already, the heartbreak-happens talk, but I don’t care. If I can teach him what trans means and he doesn’t care, then he’s mine forever, whatever it takes. Okay, maybe not. That sounds too creepy. But you get my point.”

He glanced up at Nico, who was beginning to show the signs of a nightmare. “Heal him, Dad, please. Whatever it takes. I don’t want him suffering, alright? He’s had a rough life already, and the past month has been a horror show for him. He doesn’t deserve it. He saved Lou Ellen’s life yesterday. I’ve avoided sleeping because I don’t want him to wake up from a nightmare without someone by his side, because that would mean dissociation. And dissociation, right now, means death.”

He heard a book fall from the shelf in the office. He smiled. “Thanks. I’ll keep trying if you will, Dad.”

Slowly easing himself into a standing position, he put the blanket back where it belonged, then looked back to Nico. The nightmare seemed to have faded, so Will turned and began to walk back to the office.

But something told him not to.

As a healer, he knew to trust his instincts. More often than not, they were subtle gifts from his dad, things that would help a patient stay alive. So Will turned back, ready to check Nico’s vitals one last time. He put the stethoscope to Nico’s chest, listening.

Nico wasn’t breathing.

“ _ Kopros, _ ” Will muttered, ready to act. But Nico’s breathing started up again on its own, lasting three breaths before a shallow inhale troubled Will

Pulling away, he grabbed the clipboard.  _ Test for central sleep apnea? _ he scribbled.  _ Multiple incidences of apnea and hypopnea observed in one minute. _

Sighing, Will finished his quick vitals check and hurried back to the office, intent on finding something to help Nico’s nightmares and physical problems alike. The book on the floor was leather-bound, at least a century old. As Will opened the cover, he saw a name scribbled in the corner. 

Joseph Bell.

Will smiled. His older brother had been famous enough for observation; but whenever one of his volumes was knocked off the shelf by divine intervention, it was for a specific case.

So Will carried the journal to the nearest desk, strewn with papers and assorted band-aids. He still wasn’t sure why or how there were Disney Hercules band-aids in the infirmary, but he supposed it wasn’t a smart question to ask.

Will shut his eyes and uttered a prayer in Greek, then opened the book to a random page. Instantly, he froze.

_ If breathing stops during sleep, observe closely. Nerves may not be intact; breathing problems may continue intermittently during the day for two months after shadow travel ceases. _

Will flipped back a page, his finger following the words as Joseph Bell recounted what two children of Hades had gone through after overextending themselves in the years after the Demigod Civil War. The children weren’t named, but from the descriptions, Will had some good guesses.

_ All pigment leached from his skin in a matter of weeks. Eyes, two months, leaving spots behind to give a rough appearance. Hair took considerably longer but happened after one year.  _

The eyes, Will knew, were those of Billy the Kid. 

Reading onward, he didn’t let a word escape him.  _  Loss of interest in most outside events noted; desire for few close friends and family members, desire for gold and jewels with or without powers. Has resulted in robbery. _

Will guessed the other was Jesse James.

_ In initial stages, most injuries were easily repairable with rest and temperance. Upon appearance of psychosis, rest is no longer an option. Restrain him if possible. _

Will hoped Nico didn’t get to that point.

_ Disease progression will move from skin and eyes to muscular destruction, then emotional disturbance and breathing troubles. Psychosis will follow within one year. _

Will heaved a sigh of relief, ready to turn the page back to the cause to pinpoint what was happening. His eyes stuck on a specific line before he could flip the page.

_ Any consumption of pomegranate seeds to enter a Death Trance will undoubtedly result in disease progression. _

Nico had eaten seeds. Percy and Jason had both confirmed that when Will had spoken with them. And according to Joseph Bell’s notes, Will realized, that was what sped up the reaction to the shadows.

_ Simplest treatment is to supply lights at all times, at brightest possible setting. Ultraviolet present in flames preferred. _

Will smiled. Technology had improved in more than a century. Reaching beside the desk, he grabbed the sun lamp the Apollo kids used to stay awake on longer shifts. Hurrying to Nico’s bedside, he plugged the lamp in and faced it toward the wall, still wanting the boy to sleep.

But Nico shifted, his eyes barely opening. “No,” he whined, staring at some point in the distance. Will could tell in an instant that he wasn’t awake, only in a night terror. So he watched and waited as Nico slowly came to himself, breathing raggedly with unfocused eyes.

Will noticed, all of a sudden, that his eyes had indeed begun to lighten to a rough brown.

“Nico,” he said quietly, “you’re in the infirmary. I’m right here.”

“Will?” Nico asked, looking at him.

“Hey. You need anything?”

Nico leaned toward him, arms outstretched. “Nightmares.”

“I noticed,” Will said as he hugged Nico tightly. “Now that I know how bad, I can give you something to keep them away until morning, alright?”

Nico just looked at him, pulling away. “I can’t go back to sleep, Will.”

“You need it,” Will said, but he already knew that there was only a slim chance Nico would agree. And when Nico shook his head, he wasn’t surprised.

“Can we just talk?” Nico said.

“The office is soundproof, if that works,” Will said immediately, helping Nico to his feet before reaching for the sun lamp. “This thing should help keep you safe. We can talk as long as everyone else sleeps, but when people wake up, I have to do rounds.”

“Don’t you have to sleep?” Nico whispered.

“I pull all-nighters at least once a week. I can crash come Saturday, the day you’ll hopefully be out of here. And if you end up needing to stay ― not that you will need to, but in case you do ― I can wait. I’m used to it.”

Nico smiled, entering the office a step behind Will. “So many books,” he said.

“All of ‘em demigod specific,” Will responded with a smile as he shut the door. “Monster manuals, how to treat different poisons, what each cabin normally has to deal with in terms of mortal problems. Dad actually pulled one out for me earlier about your stuff.”

“Wait, what?” Nico asked.

“He tells us what books if something’s urgent. If it’s not important or if someone’s going to survive easily, he makes us find it for ourselves. We have to learn, but saving lives is more important.”

“But he showed you, for me.”

Will nodded.

“Then it’s urgent.”

“It is. You stopped breathing, at one point. And I have to make sure you stay in the light, to help you recover.”

Nico walked to the open book on the desk. “I can’t understand most of this.”

“It’s Victorian English,” Will said with a smile, plugging in the sun lamp for extra light. “It takes me a little while. Also, misogyny. Never any mention of women fighting. Only men. Bad enough that I’m trans, which hardly anyone got away with at the time and which one of these lists as a symptom of hysteria.” 

“You’re a guy, though,” Nico said. “Can’t think of you any other way, really.”

“Thanks,” Will said quietly as he reached in the healers’ mini fridge for a gatorade. “Now hydrate. I guarantee you need it.”

Nico smiled and sat down, opening the bottle as Will kept talking. “Being trans isn’t fun, but at least there’s some acceptance now. I mean, the ancient world was about as good as we are now, which is nice.”

“Is that why you don’t care about hiding your chest?” Nico asked.

Will glanced down. “I’m lucky,” he said. “Most days, I wear a binder. Just can’t have it on at night, because it can mess with my ribs if I have it on more than eight hours a day.”

“So you put it on in the morning?”

“First thing,” Will confirmed. “Looking forward to it, too.”

Nico smiled. “Is that why you show up in baggy sweatshirts all the time? Because it’s not on yet?”

“Exactly,” Will said, happy that Nico was understanding him. “I’m the only trans kid in my cabin, but at least they all support me.”

“You’re a guy, Will,” Nico said, cheeks red. “And I’m just happy things are changing. I mean, I like guys. Like, romantically.”

_ What? _ Will thought.

“And modern America is definitely better than 1930s Italy for that.”

Will could only smile and nod. All of a sudden, Nico was making sense to him. They were both alone, in their own ways. Nico had just found the risky way out because he didn’t know any better.

Will hoped he could teach him before things got any worse.


	8. Narrow Streets of Cobblestone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...It is not yet midnight where I live. And my migraine is finally resolving itself. Update should happen earlier tomorrow and will hopefully be normal length.

###  **Chapter Eight: Narrow Streets of Cobblestone**

 

“What’s a play-by-play?” Nico asked Will.

“Each action of the fight, one after the other, who got in the next strike first. That stuff.”

Nico sighed as Will scribbled on the clipboard, trying to figure out how to explain a lack of cultural knowledge in medical terms. “My memory’s really not that good, Will.”

“Then what scars and bruises are from fights, and which ones aren’t?”

“The bruises aren’t at all.” Will looked at Nico’s legs, the muscles covered with small bruises. “Most of those are my body’s fault.”

“Then we’ll figure something out for that,” Will said. “Treat it like scurvy, probably. Extra vitamin C until you recover. Muscular problems from the darkness, nerve pain. Could even be a calcium thing.”

“Sorry, what?”

Will looked up at Nico. “Medical talk. What about the scars? The cuts on your legs looked too recent.”

“Those are never going to be spoken of,” Nico said with a smile. “Hedge will back me on this. You don’t want to know.”

Will couldn’t hold back a laugh. “At least tell me what they’re from.”

“A road. A road you never want to be on. There were knives.” Nico’s eyes seemed darker; Will hoped that was a good thing.

“As long as they aren’t from fighting,” Will said.

“Why does the cause even make a difference?” Nico asked, putting down his now-empty gatorade bottle.

“Chiron likes to know. It tells us how effective certain fighting styles are,” Will explained. “I’m no good as a fighter, I’m really not. And I’ve got the scars to prove it.”

“Seriously?” Nico asked.

Will pulled up his shirt enough to show the slash across his stomach. “That’s after five years of sword practice, and six of archery. I stand no chance on defense.”

Nico raised his eyebrows. “You’re an easy target, Sol.”

Will paused. “Sol?”

“I’m going to win the nickname fight somehow.” Nico smiled.

Will shook his head, trying not to laugh. He knew he’d have to up his game somehow or other. 

“Anyway,” Nico said, “the only scars directly from fighting are old. I know a bunch of different styles, because I’ve trained with ghosts who know forgotten ones. Monsters aren’t ready for those, most of the time.”

Will had to laugh. “Do you really not have that many new fighting scars?”

“It’s mostly just the bruises,” Nico confirmed.

“Then that’s probably because of the shadow woes,” Will reasoned. “And I’m guessing more and more that there are simple explanations for most of what has been documented as the result of shadow travel. I want to get you on a proper diet come the morning, but for now, are you ready to try sleeping?”

Nico sighed. “The dark really doesn’t help. It makes it too easy to fade without realizing.”

“You can stay in here, Nico,” Will offered in an instant. “No one’s going to be mad about that. You obviously need the sleep, and I’ll wake you up as soon as another nightmare starts.”

“You said I stopped breathing, though,” Nico said.

“Technology’s good enough that your breathing isn’t even my biggest worry. I can give you oxygen if your breathing keeps getting worse while you sleep, and if you keep having trouble, there are masks you can wear. I know a couple of the Hephaestus kids use them, because they have the same forgetting-to-breathe problem you do. Snoring’s a related thing, but for you, it’s just a matter of remembering.”

“So oxygen can be enough?” Nico asked.

“Extra oxygen keeps you from having any long-term effects from your brain being deprived of it for a few seconds at a time,” Will said. He hadn’t meant to ramble.

Nico nodded. “Not tonight, maybe? It’s all a bit much.”

“That’s fine,” Will said instantly. “Absolutely. We can figure stuff out as we go, Nico.”

“Good. Because I’m about to fall asleep,” Nico said.

Will grabbed a spare blanket out of a pile in the corner, draping it over Nico as he fell asleep in the spinny chair.

At least, he thought to himself as Nico’s breathing slowed, it was a high-backed chair.


	9. Neath the Halo of a Street Lamp

###  **Chapter Nine: Neath the Halo of a Street Lamp**

 

“You can go back to sleep if you want to, Lou,” Will said quietly as he finished his rounds. “I’ll let you head to breakfast once the time comes, but you really should rest.”

“What, like Nico?” Lou Ellen asked with a smile. “Where is he?”

“In the office. He needed some extra light, and this way, I can wake him during any nightmares. Speaking of which, I need to go check on him.”

“I’ll just be out here reading,” she said. “I’m normally up around this time anyway.”

Will sighed, walking away. “Not when you’re still healing, you shouldn’t be,” he muttered, but he knew she couldn’t hear him. He could only shut his eyes and pray that the medicine he’d slipped into her water was strong enough to send her back to sleep for a few more hours.

As he glanced over the other patients, Will smiled. He’d done everything he needed to do for the night; the rest of the work could wait until Chiron came by at dawn. So he retreated to the office, finding Nico asleep. Will supposed that the low dose of medication must have worked after the last nightmare; Nico would probably be the last to wake up in all of camp.

In case anyone was ready to worry where the son of Hades was, Will put a blue sticky note on the office door:  _ Abandon all noise ye who enter here. (Nico is sleeping and is too cute to wake. _ )

As he sat down at the desk to get through his studying for the day, Will felt his eyes dart down to the bag sitting by his feet, his binder waiting inside with his change of clothes. He wasn’t supposed to put it on yet, but he could already tell his dysphoria was going to get bad by the time everyone else arrived.

He sighed, grabbing the bag and running to the shower. He’d have to hurry up, finish before anyone else woke up. He had to run rounds again in fifteen minutes. Will planned everything out in his head before he even bothered to turn on the water.

When Will finally stepped out, he could hear a noise. “Who?” he called.

“Kayla,” his sister replied. “You almost done?”

“Getting dressed.”

“Eight hour timer starting now, Will.”

He sighed. “Understood. I’ll be careful.” As he pulled his binder on, he knew that Kayla was right: any longer and the risk level was too high, especially considering how much he was running around.

Once he was dressed, he threw his dirty clothes back in his bag and hurried back to the office. Nico was still asleep in the chair, but Will could tell that even in that pre-dawn hour, he was on the verge of waking.

Was it safe for Nico to eat a full meal yet? Will couldn’t be quite sure. He instead left the office and walked over to Kayla.

“Are oranges a good bet?”

“Vitamin C, mostly. For Nico?”

“Dad gave me the book last night. One of the Bell journals.”

Kayla smiled, looking up from her textbook. “Sunlight? Go with cereal and milk.”

“Cereal? He has to put up with Persephone this much already.”

Kayla and Will were both laughing when she finally said, “Cheese sandwich. Bottle of orange juice. He can have milk with lunch, which I guarantee will be mostly protein if Chiron has anything to do with it.”

Will nodded. “He’s on the verge of waking up. I’ll bring him down to the pavilion if he’s up for it.”

“He won’t be,” Kayla said, standing up and shutting her book. “I’ll go get him food myself, because he really should eat as soon as he wakes up and that’ll be long before the nymphs bring anything.”

“You’re the best, Kayla,” Will muttered as he walked over to his patients to start his rounds.

“Don’t I know it,” she called over her shoulder.

As Will hurried through his routine checks, finding nothing out of the ordinary other than Lou Ellen muttering a curse he was pretty sure was intended to turn his shampoo to purple hair dye, he kept thinking of Nico. The moment he was able to, Will hurried back into the office.

Nico’s eyes were open, unfocused, again.

Will crouched down and waited until the son of Hades looked at him directly. “Morning now?” Nico asked weakly, his voice shaking.

“Pretty much. Can you tolerate getting up, or do you need to wait until your brain settles down?” Will asked, offering one hand.

Nico grabbed it in an instant. “Is the sun up yet?”

“It will be in a few minutes,” Will said quietly. “We have the sun lamp for now, and I can face it toward you if you need it that badly.”

Nico nodded, and Will stood up, carefully removing Nico’s hand from his. As he repositioned the light, he felt himself begin to hum.

“What is that song?” Nico suddenly asked. “You were using that tune yesterday, too.”

“It’s just an old song,” Will said, embarrassed. “Nothing important.”

Nico shrugged. “It sounds nice.”

Will smiled as he grabbed the clipboard he had all of Nico’s information on. “I’ll keep that in mind. You want to head out onto the porch in a few minutes, take in the sun?”

“Not the elevator,” Nico said in an instant. “I’ll just stay up here.”

Will nodded. “That’s just fine. Kayla’s getting you breakfast, just a little bit of stuff. In the meantime, can I check you over?”

“Why do you have to keep checking?” Nico asked, curling in on himself. 

Will stepped back in an instant. “It’s in case anything changes. If something starts to go bad, these are the fastest ways to tell. Even if I can’t do much, just running a scan with my powers is better than nothing. For that, I just have to touch your hand.”  _ Or _ , he thought to himself, hold _ your hand. _

Nico slowly relaxed. “Don’t push it, Sol,” he said, but offered his hand nonetheless.

“Thank you, Skeletor,” Will said with a smile. His powers began to crawl through Nico’s body, catching heartbeat and brainwaves in the same instant, tracking the careful breaths. The anemia, he reminded himself, would have to be fixed after breakfast.

As he pulled away, Will smiled. “We’ll get you breakfast, a bath, and treatment as soon as possible. In that order.”

Nico visibly relaxed. “Nothing super dangerous, then.”

“Nothing will kill you before noon,” Will confirmed. “Now, do you want to watch the show the Skeletor joke comes from while we wait for your breakfast?”

“Che figata,” Nico said with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Che figata: a general "sounds cool" expression in Italian.


	10. I Turned My Collar to the Cold and Damp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, it is not yet midnight. Updates may be slowed, as I am still dealing with the aftereffects of my migraine (aka total lack of focus which might last another week if I'm unlucky).
> 
> Also, my references may be subtle but they are there.

###  **Chapter Ten: I Turned My Collar to the Cold and Damp**

 

“There’s a reason we have the rule, though, Will.” Kayla was glaring at her brother. “One person cannot stay at that level forever.”

“Not forever!” Will whined over a bite of pancakes. “Only a few more days. Just until his mental health is improved enough that he’s alright with more people.”

They were sitting at breakfast, having their daily healers’ discussion, reviewing everything that had happened overnight. Austin was sitting beside Kayla, trying to tame the younger kids and listen at the same time. 

“Nico needs more people than just you, Will,” Kayla insisted. “He needs at least a handful of people, because complex medical needs equal complex things to think about.”

“I’ll still keep you up to date, trust me,” Will promised, offering his pinky. “I can’t do this without you, okay? I just keep finding more of the stuff in the journal, more stuff saying to listen to Nico’s instincts. If he had his way, he’d be alone. I’m not about to allow that, swear it on the Styx.”

Kayla smiled slightly, taking his pinky. “Oathbound.”

Will leaned back, popping another bite of his breakfast into his mouth. He figured that if nothing else, he could temporarily convert one of the exam rooms into a more private space for Nico. The constant need for light, the likelihood of a noisy machine to keep him breathing overnight ― Will didn't want to push, but he was also pretty confident no one else in the infirmary would be wanting to deal with the treatment.

At the same time, Will could only hope that Nico wouldn't fight him over it. Having the Hades cabin to himself, Nico's medical needs could still be met once he was healed enough to leave the infirmary. But Will wasn't sure if Nico's mind would be intact at the end of day three. And he could already tell that Nico wouldn't stay any longer than that.

So as he listened to his siblings chatter about their plans for the day, archery practice and initial lessons in healing from Chiron, Will could only plan out every detail of Nico's treatment, hoping that Joseph Bell hadn't missed anything crucial. Sunlight. Some sort of light source at all hours. Will was considering a white noise machine, though after watching one too many paranormal movies he wasn't sure if that was a good idea. Breathing equipment. Medication for Nico's depression, PTSD, and whatever else was looking likely.

Will suddenly realized his dilemma: none of the mental things would, could, change until something had been done about Nico's physical state.

The pain was pushing him into flashbacks and nightmares. The old injuries were a probable factor in the depression. Even the predictions of death seemed to have a physical root, given the effect grounding had had.

But what, Will asked himself, was the actual focus of the problems? He was willing to bet that there was a cause, something to do with the shadow troubles. 

_ Nerves may not be intact. _

Then, Will suddenly realized, was there a chance everything else might be somewhat destroyed as well?

Bones would take a few weeks to regain strength, he knew. Muscles would need a few days, probably some supplements to heal fully. Will was a trained healer, though, and he knew that he could speed it up.

“I’ve got an idea,” he muttered to Kayla, standing up and dropping the last of his pancakes in the fire as an extra gift to his dad. From there, he ran to the infirmary, up the stairs and directly over to Chiron.

“If I were to heal Nico as if his state were entirely physical, would bone or muscle be a better start?” Will asked, his words spilling out of his mouth.

Chiron only smiled and looked down at him. “Nerves first.”

“I don’t have enough practice with nerves,” Will said. “I mean, I can handle a concussion. But Nico has signs of worse than that, even, and I know there were torn muscles when I was doing my scans.”

“Can he tolerate your touch yet?” Chiron asked, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

“Mine, yes. Not everyone’s. I might just use one of the exam rooms, I think. Everyone else has the right to sleep.”

Chiron’s smile reached his eyes. “Take notes, William. This seems to be more successful than prior attempts ever were. And I would suggest starting with bone.”

Will smiled, hurrying into the office where Nico was still watching modern and nearly-modern cartoons. At a glance, he could see that the current Spider-Man cartoon was the one that had spawned its own Magneto meme.

“I think I have a plan,” Will said quietly as Nico hit the pause button. 

“Something decent?”

“Can you handle a blood transfusion?” Will asked out of the blue as the thought returned to him.

“Needles, you mean? I was on the streets for a while, Will, homeless. I can handle that.”

“And also a rubber and plastic _ thing _ on your arm for hours on end?”

“What was the original plan?” Nico asked pointedly.

“Heal you cell by cell, bone by bone, muscle by muscle. It might take the rest of the day, but it’ll work. I’m gonna do what I can to keep you warm and dry, out of whatever situations you might have been used to while homeless or in the Underworld. And I’m going to get you healed, under one condition.”

“What?”

“No black magic without me there.”

Nico locked eyes with Will for just long enough that the healer began to wonder if his plan would work. Then, Nico spoke.

“Deal.”


	11. When My Eyes were Stabbed by the Flash of a Neon Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recovering from being sick. Daily updates may happen, they may not. No guarantees yet. Also, Camp NaNo may slow me down?? Sorry if it happens.

###  **Chapter Eleven: When My Eyes were Stabbed by the Flash of a Neon Light**

 

“Thanks, Will,” Nico said again as the healer brought him into the converted exam room, two cots placed beside the medical supplies. “This seems like it might help.”

“I should hope so,” Will said. Nico had barely had the strength to shower on his own; his hair was still uncombed and down to his shoulders. Will scribbled on the clipboard to beg Drew to cut Nico’s hair at some point, and preferably sooner than later.

“Is it alright if Jason were to come over for a little while later?” Will asked. “You still need some people around you, and I’m doing what I can about the other healers not bothering you, but friends are useful.”

Nico didn’t say a word for a minute. Then, he asked quietly, “Do you count as a friend?”

“I hope I do,” Will said, knowing that Nico needed the time to decide for himself.

Slowly, Nico nodded. “I guess Jason can come. Maybe watch another movie or something.”

“Sounds good! We can always go with science fiction,” Will said. “Shouldn’t be too realistic, even for us. Star Wars is a classic.”

Nico smiled. “I really need to see it.”

“Yes, Skeletor, you really do. But let’s get you wrapped up in a blanket so I can start the blood transfusion, alright?”

“Why bother?” Nico whined.

“Because,” Will patiently explained for the fourth time, “it’s going to speed up your healing by a considerable amount. Having oxygen in your brain will let it heal at a normal rate. Having too little blood means too little iron, which in turn means less oxygen.”

Nico rolled his eyes, but didn’t fight Will as the healer draped a clean blanket over the son of Hades. The one Nico had brought was still in the wash; Will hoped to have it clean by nightfall, but it was so ragged that he wasn’t sure it would survive that long.

“Sharp touch,” Will warned as he readied the IV. “No freaking out, alright?”

“Will, blood rituals are a thing I’ve done for years,” Nico deadpanned as Will taped it in place.

“And given that new information, I’ll be checking you for antibodies as soon as feasible. But in the meantime, I’m going to grab the blood and get you set up.”

As he ducked out of the exam room, Will could feel eyes on him. Kayla was still staring, waiting with the blood already.

“A-positive, just like you needed,” Kayla said with a smile. “And I texted Jason, but you and Nico kind of need to figure out what’s happening between you. You’re both too queer for words.”

“Nico’s from the thirties,” Will pointed out.

“And a lightbulb may be needed above his head to point out how much of a crush you have on each other, but you two lovebirds don’t need Jason tonight.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Give me the blood. We’ll be watching Star Wars, which Jason also needs to see because apparently the Legion doesn’t have enough movie nights.”

Kayla snorted, but handed over the cooler with the blood. “You should have heard him talk to Percy,” she whispered. “He’s entirely gay. So gay.”

“You act like I’m not the most ridiculous bisexual trans kid at camp,” Will said. “And I’m not sure if he’s going to want to have sex with me when I’m transitioning.”

Kayla rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Ask Dad if you want an answer, but that’s also probably not a downside for Nico. Just means you two can learn together how to do this stuff.”

“Maybe,” Will said with a smile. “But not tonight. It can wait until he’s nearly healed, at least.”

As he rejoined Nico, he saw the son of Hades picking at the edge of the blanket. “You good?” he asked.

Nico didn’t respond.

“Hey, Skeletor,” Will said, louder. “No dissociations while no one’s dying, please.”

“Lava wall,” Nico whispered. “No chance.”

Will hurried to the window at the words, immediately spotting the injured demigod being carried to the infirmary. Two others were behind the first, both of them in Roman armor.

“Shit,” he muttered. “Let’s get you set up, alright?”

Nico only shuddered. “Her soul’s already in the Underworld. You can’t save her.”

“But I can save you,” Will said, putting the two bags of blood on an IV stand and connecting them to Nico’s arm. “And if that’s all I can do, then I’ll do that. Alright?”

Nico nodded, relaxing minutely. “Okay.”

“Awesome. What should I tell the others about the other injured people?”

Nico smiled. “They’ll be okay. Just treat the burns.”

“Thank you,” Will said. “Are you going to be able to manage for a few minutes while I coordinate treatment out there? Chiron won’t be able to get here yet.”

“Do what you need to,” Nico said. Will supposed that was the best answer he was going to get.

So he ducked out of the room and immediately yelled, “Incoming casualties, healers! One dead, two alive with burns but mobile.”

“Thank you,” Kayla yelled back as she stood up from a patient’s bedside and ran to the sink, washing her hands without another thought. 

“Will, you in or out?” Austin asked as he hurried to the supply cabinet, pulling out first nectar and then bandages.

“Nico’s dissociating. I’m grounding him,” he said.

“You got it, man. Do what you have to. We’ll hold down the fort. And tell him thanks for us.”

Will smiled, slipping back in and sitting down at Nico’s side just as screams could be heard outside the door. “You want soundproofing in here?” he asked.

Nico nodded, hugging his knees and mouthing the same few words in Italian over and over again. 

Will hurried to the door, running his fingers over the door frame and saying a Greek prayer to isolate the room. There was one extra benefit of Apollo being the god of music, after all: Will could control sound just enough if he absolutely had to.

As he turned around and called to Nico, the son of Hades shuddered. “Careful,” he said.

“What’s the problem?” Will asked in an instant, not wanting another life to be lost.

“Kayla. I don’t know why.”

Will didn’t question Nico’s guess, only opened the door and shouted to his sister. “Kayla! Something’s up with whoever you’re treating, so freeze there!”

“Could be latex allergy. I can see red already,” she called back. “Thank you for the warning.”   


As Will shut the door and hurried back to Nico’s side in the silence, the boy began to relax. “Those two will be alright.”

“Awesome. What about you?”

“What do you mean?” Nico asked, confused.

“Are you going to be alright?” Will asked.

Nico sighed. “Someday. Maybe.”

“Good enough,” Will said with a smile. “Now, we’ve got a couple of hours before Jason gets here, so it’s up to you what you want to do in the meantime.”

“Maybe a game of some sort? Something easier?” Nico suggested. “I still can’t focus, with what just happened.”

“How does Mythomagic work?” Will asked.

“Why?”

“I may or may not have grabbed another two packs of Mythomagic cards from the camp store last night when I was getting your dinner,” Will said, producing them from his pocket. “And I think it’s time I learned to play.”

Nico smiled, and it reached his eyes. Will thought a tiny bit of pigment may have returned to his skin as he relaxed and grabbed the new cards. “Do you know how to play Pokemon?”

“Match the energy to the attack, and deal damage?”

“Now imagine it as divine versus monstrous energy, and two separate measures of health.” Nico smiled. “You pick one divine creature and one monstrous to form your fighting team, your chariot. Each round, you can pick between using the special power of one of them or charging, attacking. A charge combines the force of your divine and monstrous, minus their losses from the prior turns. But sometimes the powers are stronger, especially, say, Hades’ power of refilling monstrous health by taking that many points away from the opponent’s divinity.”

Will smiled. “That actually sounds really cool.”

“It takes a bit of getting used to, I guess,” Nico said. “But once you get the hang of it, and you get figurines, you can actually plan maneuvers instead of just your chariot against your opponent’s. Phalanx of a dozen divinities beats anything, but you can’t use multiples of the same divinity and there are only eight divinity statues that aren’t ultra rare.”

“How many do you have?”

“Eleven, plus the one my sister got me. I can do it if I use it. But they’re putting out a minor gods statue set next year, which has two statues joining to form a divinity. Twenty of those, plus the five-nymph rule and nine Muses equaling two divinities. Monstrosities are more complicated,” Nico said.

Will smiled. “That’s all statues?”

“All of it. But at least the cards are easier.”

“Then let’s get started.”


	12. That Split the Night and Touched

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chronic illness flares are no fun. Updates should be every other day for ... a few days? We'll see.

###  **Chapter Twelve: That Split the Night and Touched**

 

Nico had beat Will badly. Badly. To the point where Will wasn’t sure if he would want to play again. 

Luckily, that was when Jason arrived.

“Chiron told me to bring food,” he said. “So I’ve got popcorn and fruit.”

“Fruit,” Will said.

“Yes, fruit,” Jason said with a smile. “It’s healthy. Nico needs it.”

“Thank you, Jason,” Nico said as he pulled the bag out of his hands. “Star Wars?”

“I’ll go grab the computer,” Will said with a smile. “And extra blankets and pillows.”

“Take your time,” Jason said. Will knew in an instant that he needed to talk to Nico alone, without the healer hovering. 

“I mean, I really should check on the other patients, if you don’t mind the extra couple minutes of waiting,” Will admitted.

“Do it,” Nico said as he plugged in a miniature popcorn machine Jason had very clearly begged off someone in the Hermes cabin. “I can eat more popcorn while you’re gone.”

“Fruit,” Will repeated as he ducked out the door.

He walked between the beds for just a minute, looking over the injuries that had been sustained in the accident at the lava wall. Will had always assumed it was a child of Ares' decision to have it at the opposite end of camp from the infirmary; looking at the situation at hand, he was beginning to suspect that, in fact, it may have been a child of Mars whose stupidity had led to the earlier death.

It was only beginning to hit him how ridiculous it was that Nico had sensed the death from that far away, had reacted that badly. But Will was a healer. His response was dulled after years of death, he was the first one to admit it.

Maybe Nico was the normal one, minus the precognition side of things.

But no matter what, Will thought as he hurried to the office for pillows, blankets, and his laptop, there was one thing guaranteed: Nico needed help.

Arms loaded, Will left the office and immediately stubbed his toe against Chiron’s empty wheelchair. He hissed.

“Do you need any help, William?” the centaur asked, hurrying over. “I apologize for leaving that there, but I was only checking in on the injured pair of Romans."

"I'll manage, Chiron," Will insisted. "I'm just worried about Nico."

"No surprise there," the centaur said with a smile.

"He's not having an easy time still, but I feel like being around so many people at risk of dying is only making it worse for him. I hate having to have him stuck in here when it's literally the worst thing for him," Will said, adjusting the blankets in his arms.

"Then do what you can to isolate that room. Perhaps some extra prayers might be in order," Chiron said, tucking the empty wheelchair into the corner of the infirmary where it belonged. "I have a feeling your father may take an interest in this particular case. He may have a solution we have not thought of."

"The Mist is the only thing I can think of," Will said.

"And Lou Ellen's life was potentially saved by Nico's fast reaction," Chiron reasoned. "She may be able to block the sensations from reaching Nico. I’ll talk to her when I have a chance. But ask your father tonight, once he's not so busy with the chariot, for anything to speed up the healing. And don't hesitate to ask Jason for any extra help you might need, alright? He'll happily keep an eye on Nico so you can rest, I'm sure. And I'll do the same, no matter how often you need it."

"Thanks, Chiron," Will said. "It's just so hard to come up with anything that could let him heal. I hate how the notes describe it, too. They're all blaming it on what the person's done in their life, you know? And Nico is innocent. He’s saved the world twice.”

“It may still weigh on him. He knows he holds grudges rather strongly. He cannot change how his mind works, William. He can only change the thoughts.”

Only the thoughts. 

“Then what should I focus on healing?” Will asked as Chiron turned and began to walk away.

The centaur paused. “Ask him.”

Will smiled, hurrying back to the exam room with the blankets and computer. “So, Jason,” he said as he opened the door, trying to keep Nico calm, “is it true that you were literally about to die from a sword wound and yet you didn’t even tell me about it?”

“Nico, how dare you,” Jason muttered, but he was laughing as he looked up at Will from the ongoing Mythomagic game. “And I’m fine at this point.”

“You don’t get to say that without me checking the scar,” Will said, throwing the blankets at the pair.

“Will.”

“What?” he asked Nico, whose mouth was full of popcorn.

“You juff meffed ub the game.”

Will bit his tongue to keep from laughing. Jason wasn’t so successful.

“Let me see the scar, Jason,” Will finally said as he set the laptop down and waited for it to load. “You guys can watch the movie while I do that and check Nico’s vitals.”

Jason obediently shed his shirt as Will pressed play. For just a moment, Will had to admire the muscles.

_ No. Patient. Focus. _

He knew that wouldn’t keep working. His crush on Nico was worse than he thought, if he could ignore Jason’s physique.

But once he saw the scar, Will realized that Jason had to have some ridiculous mental powers to heal from whatever wound it was without much help. It was a stab wound, deep. Will pressed his hands to Jason’s back, muttering under his breath before he knew what he was doing.

But there wasn’t anything to worry about at first.

Then, Will found the scars. Everything was fine except the nerves. He quickly patched up what he could, knowing that Jason wouldn’t even have been feeling pain from so small a problem but the treatment couldn’t make things any worse than they were.

As Will pulled away, he heard Jason sigh. “That actually worked,” he said.

“What did you do to heal it?”

“Accepted that my dad’s the god of the sky, whichever form he’s in. Greek and Roman don’t need to be distinguished to be able to coexist. They can be one and the same, just parts of a whole.” Jason shrugged. “It works.”

Will only shook his head before gesturing for Jason to put his shirt back on. As he reached for Nico’s wrist, however, he noticed the faint tint to the son of Hades’ skin.

A few days. That’s all it had taken.

“You’re getting there, Nico,” Will muttered. Nico didn’t say anything, too focused on the last few seconds of the opening crawl.

And Will suddenly knew, without a doubt, that his crush on Nico was an absolute disaster.

But he forced himself to take Nico’s pulse, then check his blood pressure and heartbeat before he could freak out any more. Nico was busy eating, curled up against Jason’s side and intent on watching  _ Star Wars _ for the first time. Will pulled back, then grabbed a handful of popcorn from Nico’s bowl as he sat down on Jason’s far side, not wanting to touch the boy he liked.

Loved?

It didn’t matter yet. Healing came first. But as Nico drifted to sleep in Jason’s lap, Will hoped that his dad would hurry up some of the healing. He couldn’t wait much longer.


	13. And In the Naked Light I Saw

###  **Chapter Thirteen: And In the Naked Light I Saw**

 

Nico woke up and instantly bolted to his feet.

“Stand down, Nico,” someone said.

But his sword wasn’t by his side, and he wasn’t in a bed when he woke up. Those were bad things. Very bad.

“Nico di Angelo, I need you to listen to me,” the same voice said. “You’re at Camp Half-Blood. I’m Will. You fell asleep watching Star Wars.”

Slowly, Nico’s eyes focused on the blond healer. “Oh,” he breathed.

“Before you freak out,” Jason said from his spot on the floor, “you do have an IV in for the sake of helping you heal. And yes, you need it.”

“Okay,” Nico said. He slowly crouched down, shaky. “I’m sorry.”

“I was expecting that, Nico,” Will said. “I’ve been praying for most of the movie, and panic attacks tend to be a side effect of rapid healing. You’re nearly safe enough to go to sleep for the night, frankly. Your skin’s getting closer to a normal color.”

Nico looked at his arm. “I can’t see a difference,” he muttered, but he hoped Will was right.

“Also,” Will said quietly, “you managed to sleep through another accident.”

“But no one died,” Nico said without a thought.

Will paused. “No. No one died.”

“What is it?” Jason asked, watching the healer closely.

“The records I have. I think this is what was being referred to as psychosis. The ability to predict or see death and the lack thereof. I wouldn’t have thought they would call this psychosis, but maybe.”

“They all hated me enough, Will,” Nico said. “I’m guessing they would call any mental thing psychosis.”

Will rolled his eyes. “You’re probably not wrong. Bigots.”

“Idiots,” Jason added.

“And horrible people to boot,” Nico muttered. “Can we put the movie back to the earlier part?”

“What do you remember?” Jason asked him.

“Ben Kenobi and R2,” Nico said.

Instantly, Will laughed. “That was an hour ago, Nico. You really must have needed the sleep.”

“Did I stop breathing?” Nico asked.

“Not that either of us noticed,” Jason said. 

“Plus, that could be from the concussions you’ve had,” Will said. “I’m still going to try the mask on you tonight, but I don’t think you’ll be doing badly enough to need much help. You should be out of here in a couple more days, with just a feeding schedule to worry about.”

“You mean showing up at the pavilion.”

“Yes, I mean showing up at the pavilion,” Will said. “Now, I’m going to go get both of you some dinner, because that’s a smart idea. Start the movie from whatever part you guys want.”

As the healer shut the door, Jason said, “Listen.”

“What?” Nico asked.

"Will likes you. A lot."

"I've kind of gathered that," Nico said.

"No. I'm serious," Jason insisted. "You need to ask him out."

"What?"

"You know, on a date."

"Jason, I've only known him for a few days. I don't know what you're thinking, but there's no way."

Jason held his hands up. "Fine, fine. But keep it in mind, alright? He's definitely going to be giving you all sorts of little things. He's already trying to work stuff out with Chiron to spend as much time with you as possible, you know?"

"What, like eating with him at dinner? Because that was supposed to be to keep me from getting lonely," Nico said.

"I mean, maybe?" Jason said slowly. "But he's getting you food and he didn't even ask what you want."

"Cheeseburger, preferably with extra bacon," Nico said. "Same thing I had last night. We've talked about what I need to eat, because it could be dangerous if I don't eat enough. And he’ll want to spend the rest of the night healing me, so he’s probably going to put me to sleep as soon as I’m done eating.”

“Casts it in a different light,” Jason muttered. “Are you really that far from healed?”

“According to Will, yes.”

Jason only shook his head before putting the movie back on, setting it back far enough that Nico remembered what was happening. By the time Will came back, the pair were engrossed in sarcastic commentary of C3PO’s actions.

“Cheeseburgers with extra bacon, fries, and orange juice. Jason, you’re eating the same thing, because that makes my life easier,” Will said as he set down the tray of food. “And, at that, so am I.”

Nico smiled and grabbed a cheeseburger. “This is good, Will. Thanks,” he said as he swallowed the first bite.

“Just thank the nymphs,” he said. “They did the hard work.”

“Fair enough,” Jason said as he grabbed at a french fry. “Now, silence until the stupidity starts again in the movie.”

“You’re both going to hell for this sacrilege,” Will muttered, but Nico only laughed.

“I’m pretty sure I’m headed there anyway, Will. And it’s not all that bad.”

“There’s a special hell for people who talk in the theatre,” Will went on as if Nico hadn’t said a word.

This time, Jason laughed. “No big black mustache around here, though. No traditionalists.”

“Just big damn heroes.”

“Ain’t we just,” Jason said.

Nico really wished he had a clue as to what had just happened.

“Anyways,” Will said when he and Jason stopped laughing, “I’m going to start the heavy-duty healing when we finish eating. Nico, you may want Jason holding you still for the first bit, because it tends to hurt.”

“What are you going to do?” Nico asked, nervous in an instant.

“Try to repair the bones as best I can. It’s not that bad,” Will reassured him. “It just hurts because sometimes the bones end up with tiny cracks in the process.”

“But it’ll help?” Nico asked. 

“Without a doubt,” Will said.

Nico sighed. “Fine. But if I say stop―”

“Then I stop without question,” Will said, popping the last bite of his cheeseburger into his mouth. “Finish up so I can try.”

Nico nodded, but then paused. “It’s still scary.”

“I’m here,” Jason said quietly. Nico was startled, because Jason’s tone pinned down why he was so scared. It was because he had to deal with Will.

What was it to like someone? Nico thought he knew from his years of crushing on Percy.

But love?


	14. Ten Thousand People, Maybe More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason ships it.
> 
> (I'm still sick, mostly because of the heat around here. Short chapter tonight, hopefully a longer one soon.)

###  **Chapter Fourteen: Ten Thousand People, Maybe More**

 

“Hold still,” Will was saying. 

“I’m trying.”

“I know you are. But hold still.”

Nico hugged Jason tighter as Will finished repairing his right arm. “Almost,” the son of Jupiter told him. “Only another minute.”

“I can’t.”

Will’s powers were turned off in an instant. “That’s fine, Nico. I’ve done enough that it should heal the rest of the way on its own.”

Nico only shuddered, out of energy. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be!” Will said, rubbing the spot he’d been touching. “You’re doing well. I can stick with some of the not-so-painful stuff for now. Or you can go to sleep,” he added as Nico yawned.

“Yeah,” Jason said quietly. “Probably a good idea, Nico.”

“Do I need that mask thing?” he asked.

“Just in case, I’m going to say yes,” Will responded. “I don’t want you to suddenly stop breathing without anyone realizing. But if you don’t have any problems for a few hours, I’ll try to slip it off without waking you.”

Nico sighed. “Fine.”

So Jason pulled away and stood up, looking out the window. “Sun’s just about set, Will.”

“I had the feeling,” the healer replied, helping Nico to his feet and then onto the bed. “Nico, I know it’s early, but I can do a lot more of the heavy-duty healing while you’re asleep without it hurting as badly.”

“Then I’ll try to sleep,” he said.

Will smiled. “Thanks. Do you want any medication, anything to help you sleep? We can work out the rest of that stuff tomorrow, but for now, what do you need?”

Jason coughed. “Will, slow down.”

The healer looked over at him. Nico swore a full conversation happened in the five seconds of eye contact between the pair. 

“Pain meds and a sedative for now, then?” Will asked as he turned back to Nico.

“That should work,” Nico said with a smile. “Thanks.”

“It’s literally my job, Skeletor.”

“I know, Sol,” Nico muttered.

“And they’re at the nicknames stage,” Jason said lightly. “Wonder what they’ll reach next.”

Nico shot him a look. “Out.”

“See you two tomorrow,” Jason said as he hurried to the door, shutting it behind him.

Will sighed, walking to the cabinet tucked in the corner. “No more nectar for a few days. Likely reaction to pure melatonin, given the symptoms.” He grabbed three bottles in one hand, shutting the cabinet door with the other. “One benefit to you still having that IV line ready. I’ll just put these in a thing of saline, and you can get to sleep.”

“Saline?”

Will paused. “Same stuff as earlier. Salt water, yes, but I’ve been saying prayers and so far Poseidon doesn’t seem to want to kick your ass. Are you alright with it?”

Nico only nodded, already saying a prayer of his own while very carefully avoiding cussing out his uncle.

“Good. Go ahead and lie down, Nico. I’ll go slow.”

But Nico was asleep before Will could even give him the medicine.

All he could see was black; that was a familiar sensation from his years of shadow-travel. But the heat around him told Nico he had been pulled instantly into a nightmare, a bad one. Tartarus.

Nico’s breath caught. He had to get out. Had to escape. He couldn’t stay in hell forever, he knew.

But as the heat around him disappeared and he felt pomegranate seeds in his pocket, Nico knew his situation had just gone from bad to worse. The thousands of voices of his childhood, the ghosts of everyone he’d failed to help, echoed around him as he felt the deaths in battle, the injuries his friends sustained. Percy and Annabeth’s fall. Everything.

“Come on, Nico.”

His eyes shot open as he struggled to sit up. The sky was dark outside, the sunlamp next to his bed making up for it. Will was standing next to him.

“Will,” he said.

“I’ve got you,” the healer said. “And I’m not letting go, Nico. Go back to sleep. I’m not letting go.”

Nico trusted him. He went back to sleep.

And the dreams stopped.


	15. People Talking Without Speaking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i aten't ded.
> 
> Just a tendinitis flare that made me wish hands were not a thing, and related chronic illness problems (my life in a nutshell). 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has commented; I'm slightly too exhausted to reply to everything, but once I'm fully recovered I'll be trying. Someone yell at me to update within the next few days if it doesn't happen tomorrow, please.

###  **Chapter Fifteen: People Talking Without Speaking**

 

The next time Nico woke, he could see light on the horizon.

Will was asleep on the other cot, everything except the hand in which he held Nico’s curled up into a tiny ball. The smol Sol, as Nico thought to himself, reaching over to wake the healer and trying not to disturb the mask on his own face.

In an instant, Will’s eyes were open. “Hey, Skeletor.”

“Hey,” Nico said.

“Bit early. You want to try to sleep any more?”

Nico only shook his head.

Will smiled, reaching for a machine on the ground and flipping a switch. “Then we might as well watch the sunrise. I’ll grab your meds and some breakfast, alright?”

“Thanks,” Nico said quietly as Will slipped the mask off his face. He looked out the window, where the faint light of dawn turned the horizon blue. 

It was peaceful, he thought to himself. There wasn’t death lingering over Camp this early in the morning; he could breathe.

As Nico thought over what Will had said the night before, he couldn’t help but wonder if the healer was right, if his own siblings had been driven insane by the death around them. Not insane, he reminded himself. Just in need of a better solution to the problem.

The stars began to fade in the sky as the lighter blues spread. None of the scattered clouds had turned colors yet. But Nico was alright with that. He supposed it made it easier to find the shadows, still.

The light was on behind him, he reminded himself. No shadow travel until he was healed.

But a thought passed through his mind: was that what the mindlessness of death felt like? The cold fear of darkness, the sensations without knowing what they were from? Because, Nico thought to himself, that would explain a lot.

When Will finally arrived back, though, the thought was ripped from Nico’s mind. “What’s that?” he asked, staring at the plate in Will’s hand.

Will stared at him. “You’re Italian. These are cannoli. I figured it would be fitting.”

“Those are from Sicily, aren’t they?” Nico said.

“I think so?”

“I’m from Venice.”

Will stared at him blankly.

“A single pastry with a drink is an entire breakfast. Fruit makes it luxurious.”

Will laughed. “You win. We can do proper Italian food tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Am I staying here tonight?”

“Preferably, yes. You need to learn how to put the mask on yourself, for one thing. And I have to see if your body fusses about your long-term medication. But that’s just a few pills,” Will said with a tiny smile. “Something for the anxiety, the depression, and a multivitamin to keep you functional. And I have a written plan for getting everything checked once a week until you’re healed.”

“And after that?” Nico asked.

“After that, when I no longer need to spend every day healing you, I’m figuring we can try dating.”

Nico stared at Will, whose hopeful look was enough to remind him that it was the 21st century, that he was safe.

“We can give it a try,” Nico said.

Will beamed.

“Now give me the cannoli. I miss the fake Italian food.”

“Fake?” Will said, feigning insult as he sat down next to Nico. “I grew up eating these.”

“This was the closest Washington D.C. ever had to what I was used to,” Nico explained, taking a chocolate-filled one. 

“What about your sister?”

Silence for a moment. “She hated them more than I did,” Nico said quietly.

“Oh,” Will responded. “Then what do you want for lunch?”

“Polenta. The real stuff, thick enough to cut.”

“Grits?”

“Polenta,” Nico responded stubbornly. “I am never eating grits again. They are fake and disgusting.”

Will burst out laughing. “You’re insulting my entire childhood, Nico.”

“Good. If you actually grew up eating grits, your childhood deserves the insult.” But Nico was smiling as he ate the food Will had brought him.

When the pair of them had finished the plate, though, Will placed three bottles beside Nico. Two of them were the bright orange Nico couldn’t help but be wary of. 

“These are better than just any old antidepressants you’d get from mortals,” Will said quietly. “We keep these made with ambrosia, very carefully balanced and everything. And the only time I’ve ever seen an adverse reaction was when we got the dose wrong, and even that wasn’t bad.”

Nico nodded. “Maybe it’ll work.”

“Maybe,” Will echoed.

“Whose dose was wrong?” Nico asked. “If you can tell me. Just ― what happened?”

Will paused. “It was mine,” he finally said. “When I started at Camp, because I was too young. You’re older than I was then, so there’s no real risk for you now. I had insisted that I needed the full dose, and it did work. My body just couldn’t handle it all for as long as I needed. I ended up with something approaching an overdose, and it was entirely an accident. We figured it out, but it was still scary.”

Nico shivered. “So you figured out a better way to do it?”

“A much better way. Some of the Athena kids did the math out for us, got the proper dosages written down. We just match stuff up with that. It’s safe, just as long as there’s no other reaction. Of course, with you being thin still, we have to be careful. But I think we’ve got it as good as we can get it for this.”

“Okay,” Nico breathed. “Okay.”

Will smiled. He bumped his shoulder against Nico’s for a moment. “Want to go outside to watch the sunrise after?”

“Yeah,” Nico said.

“And would you tease me if I didn’t bother to put my binder on for the day?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “I’d punch anyone who teased you.”

“Nico. No powers.”

“I don’t see how my actual strength counts as underworld magic, Sol. Now give me my medicine.”

So Will handed him a thermos full of hot cocoa, then one by one, the pills he had to take. Nico swallowed them carefully, then stood up with the thermos in hand. Will followed close behind as he walked to the elevator.

“I think I can manage it,” he whispered.

“Then we might as well give it a try,” Will responded, grabbing his sweatshirt off the hook at the entrance to the infirmary as he passed Nico to press the button for the elevator. But he didn’t put it on, not yet.

When the metal doors opened, Nico only had to take a deep breath before he was ready to step inside.

“I can do this,” he repeated, listening to the whine of metal.

Will’s shoulder pressed against his. “Almost there.”

“I know.”

Nico didn’t need to say anything more. He knew that Will felt his fear, that yet-unsolved problem that medication hadn’t had long enough to take care of. But it didn’t matter. They didn’t need to speak, not even when the doors opened and Will led him down the hall, out onto the porch. Camp Half-Blood was still silent; Nico didn’t mind. But he also didn’t mind when the healer by his side started to hum the same song Nico had heard from him before.

And as he and Will waited for the sunrise, Nico realized that although his medication was yet to take effect, he was the happiest he had been in a very long time.


	16. People Hearing Without Listening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, delayed chapter. Dysphoria and chronic illness do that. But looks like the next one is actually a couple days away, so be ready!

###  **Chapter Sixteen: People Hearing Without Listening**

 

When Nico felt Will’s arm against him, he realized he’d fallen asleep again.

“No dreams?” Will asked as quietly as he could.

Nico only shook his head. “None.”

“That’s good.”

“Can I have coffee?” Nico asked.

Will laughed quietly. “You really shouldn’t have caffeine.”

“It helps,” Nico said, trying to find the words to explain himself through his exhaustion.

“Probably the ADHD, then. Chiron keeps the good stuff inside, but I can ask since you think it would help. Slowing down the racing thoughts, keeping you from falling asleep again. All that jazz.” Will pulled Nico to his feet as the son of Hades stared. The healer had understood exactly what he meant.

So as Will held the door open, Nico stepped past him, back inside. Chiron’s hoofbeats were audible in the kitchen, and as Will led him down the hall, Nico smiled. The centaur was a constant at camp. As long as he was around, Nico could convince himself he’d be alright.

“Hey, Chiron?” Will called.

The centaur turned. “William! Nico, how are you feeling?”

“Better,” Nico managed.

“He needs coffee,” Will said, half laughing.

Chiron only smiled, gesturing to the coffee pot. “I’d offer the better coffee, but Lord Hermes is late with the delivery. This should be a good enough coffee for now, I think.”

“Still not espresso,” Nico muttered as he grabbed a mug off the rack and poured himself a cup. “Will, you need any?”

“I won’t say no to it,” the healer said.

So Nico poured a second mug as Chiron placed the milk and sugar in front of him. “I’ll see what I can do regarding the espresso,” the centaur whispered in his ear. “I must admit, I’m somewhat surprised we don’t already have something of the sort here. I’ve had a fondness for it myself for at least a century now.”

“Before or after the Great War?” Nico asked.

Chiron smiled. “I believe it was during, as a matter of fact.”

Nico laughed as he took his first sip. “This is good,” he said, leaning against the counter as Will poured milk into his own cup. “Is it light roast?”

“Indeed,” Chiron said. “More caffeine for those of us who need it. Including me, if I want to be awake by breakfast.”

Will snorted. “All due respect, Chiron, but none of us demigods are awake at breakfast.”

“I’ve noticed. Someone needs to be responsible, however, and I suppose that’s me.”

The centaur was watching Nico, however, and the son of Hades was getting freaked out by the stare. 

“William, when are you thinking?” Chiron finally asked.

“Transition to the cabin over the next few nights, I think. But Nico’s got some sort of apnea still, nevermind the panic attacks. I don’t want him alone yet.”

“Hazel is leaving tonight,” Chiron said pointedly. “He won’t have much choice.”

“He’s planning on taking meals with the Apollo cabin already,” Will said. “And he’s useful around the infirmary. I might just see if I can keep him sleeping in there for a while longer.”

Nico smiled as Will suddenly realized he was still in the room. 

“If you don’t mind, of course,” the healer rushed to add. “I mean―”

“I’m fine with it,” Nico said. “It means everyone gets warning if something’s going down, too, you know? I like being useful.”

“Then I suppose that’s settled. At least until shadow travel is achievable without risk to himself, Nico will sleep in the infirmary.” Chiron smiled. “William, I would suggest finishing any formal healing this morning, at least physically. You need sleep yourself tonight, even if it is by Nico’s side until the apnea is solved.”

“It’s from the Bell notebook,” Will said. “The easiest way to solve it is to treat wounds, then mind, both with a stoppage in use of powers. Most of the other problems solve themselves with time after that.”

“How long?” Nico asked, curious.

Will looked at him, then shrugged. “You’re the first to actually follow the treatment protocol for long enough to have a clue. All that’s in the notebook is that it helped.”

The first. Nico shuddered. Every single older sibling of his had been unable to deal with the treatment, possibly just because they couldn’t stay at camp for long enough. Nico hoped that was the actual reason, and not that they had died fighting.

“Can we write it down?” he asked aloud. “In case it happens with anybody else. I know Dad’s been in and out of the Underworld for the past couple of years. He could have another kid by now, for all I know. But even if it’s another century before anyone needs to know this stuff, at least it’ll be there.”

Will smiled. “Let’s do it.”

They both finished their coffee, Nico rinsing the mugs in the sink as Chiron stepped aside to let Will by. By the time the dishes were done, the healer was back, an empty notebook in one hand and an iPod in the other.

“Is that really necessary?” Chiron asked, gesturing.

“We’re in camp,” Will said. “And Nico needs to learn modern music, all the stuff between the forties and now.”

“The thirties,” Nico said.

“My point stands.”

“Fine, William. But keep your bow with you, and if Mr. D. arrives and begins fussing, it is gone.”

“Understood,” Will said, grabbing Nico’s hand and pulling him out to the porch once more. 

“Where’s your bow?” Nico asked. 

“Upstairs. I won’t need it.”

Nico laughed. “You should probably get it.”

“Fine, fine. But here. Best songs of the time you missed. These go in your ears―”

“I know how headphones work, Will.”

“Just making sure!” the healer said. “Put it on shuffle, enjoy whatever comes on. I’ll be back down in a few minutes to listen. Might have to wake Kayla up, of course, if she’s fallen asleep.”

“Take your time,” Nico said as he pressed shuffle. 

But as the healer took one step inside, Nico heard the melody again, the exact same one that had been stuck in Will’s head. Was there godly intervention in the making of the iPod? Maybe. But Nico was sure Apollo was laughing at him as he sat, listening to the song, hugging his knees and trying to focus.

And it was only as the song finished, as Will sat down next to him, that he realized he hadn’t caught a single word of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, up in Olympus, Apollo was laughing hard enough that Artemis was actually slightly worried about her brother. Maybe not for his immortal health, sure, but for his sanity.


	17. People Writing Songs that Voices Never Shared

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like updates should be more frequent starting early September. Currently, I'm stuck in the house with two devout Catholics for parents, which really doesn't help my own dysphoria. But once I'm back on campus, I should be in a better mental place, so be ready for more chapters!

###  **Chapter Seventeen: People Writing Songs that Voices Never Shared**

 

Three hours later and Nico’s eyes were hurting.

But he knew everything was set, that all of his symptoms and Will’s treatments were scribbled in the notebook and that if ever his father had another child and the same problems were to occur, the healers at Camp Half-Blood would have the answers. So he could relax.

“Food?” Will asked.

“Bread, maybe. Not much. Not now.”

“You need protein.”

Nico rubbed his eyes, standing up. “I’m just not feeling the best, Will. Food’s not the first thing on my mind right now.”

“What is?” the healer asked pointedly.

Nico smiled. “Just getting back to normal.”

“Then food might help,” Will said quietly. “I know it’s hard still. But at least a peanut butter sandwich. Alright?”

“Too sweet,” Nico whined, but he was smiling as he pulled the healer to his feet. “Too American.”

“You like McDonalds.”

“The ghosts like McDonalds,” he corrected. “I only eat it because it’s easier to get food and summoning supplies from one source.”

“McDonalds is the Walmart of underworld goods,” Will muttered as he grabbed his backpack with the notebook inside and his bow strapped to the side. “And I’m never eating there again.”

When the pair finally arrived at the dining pavilion, Nico forced himself not to turn around and head back to the infirmary when Percy waved to him and patted the seat beside him. Jason was sitting with him at Poseidon’s table, Annabeth and Piper clearly plotting a prank at the other end.

Will shook his head, though, as he led Nico to the Apollo cabin’s table. “Not today. Nico’s still healing.”

“Healer’s orders,” Jason said with a smile. “See you around, Nico.”

Nico only shrugged as he sat down. Will reached over to the food left from breakfast and handed him two bananas, one of which he immediately tossed in the fire for Hades. Will then followed it with a croissant.

“Dark chocolate peanut butter filling,” he said. “They aren’t as sweet. And they are still just that good.”

Nico looked at it dubiously. “One bite?” he said.

“To start.”

He took the pastry, took one bite. But Will was right; it wasn’t as overly sweet as most American foods were. So Nico smiled and took another bite before beginning to eat the banana.

“Lunch is technically starting in an hour or so,” Will said before biting into an apple. “But I’ll let you pick when you eat and what meals consist of for a couple more days.”

“Italians eat lunch at about three o’clock,” Nico said. “If we’re going with all my good childhood memories, dinner is right before bed.”

Will raised an eyebrow at that, but only asked, “What’s the food actually consist of?”

“Polenta, seafood. Rixi e bixi is good.”

“What?”

“Rice and beans. But liver and onions probably has more protein.”

Will stared at him. “Liver?”

“Yes.”

“Gross.”

“Delicious.”

“Fight me, Skeletor, but liver is the worst thing ever.”

“Can I train?” Nico asked. “I will happily fight you if you let me train.”

Will froze. “Compromise? Archery? Because I’m horrible at it with all my skills in healing, so I could use the practice just about as much as you.”

“Fine,” Nico said, but he was beaming. At least he got to do something for once.

“We’ll have to go back to the infirmary so I can get people to cover me. But I know for a fact that nobody’s doing stuff on the range all day today, because it’s a special lesson day for archery so people learn how to make their own arrows in an emergency.”

“Cool.”

“Finish eating, Skeletor, and we’re going to have some fun.”

Nico took the last few bites of his food, listening to Annabeth and Piper’s laughs as Percy and Jason arm-wrestled across the table only a short distance away. And it didn’t surprise him at all when Jason won.

As he and Will began to walk back to the infirmary, though, Nico felt his energy level dip as a panic attack threatened to start.

“Something’s about to happen.”

“What?” Will asked, looking at him.

Nico shut his eyes. “Who’s in the woods?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll go get whoever it is if you can get back to the infirmary and give Austin some warning for me,” Will said. “Archery can wait until after.”

“Archery can wait,” Nico echoed, nodding.

“See you when I get back,” Will said, darting off with his bow in hand and his bag slung over one shoulder.

Nico watched him for a minute as the panic built up, but he forced himself to walk back to the Big House and climb the few steps onto the porch.

Opening the door, he realized he was going to have to take the elevator alone.

“I can do it,” he muttered, pressing the button as calmly as he could. “And Will’s coming as soon as he can.”

For the entire ride, Nico only thought of Will.

As the doors opened, he hurriedly stepped through and locked eyes with Austin.

“Someone hurt?”

“In the woods. Will’s gone to find them.”

“Breathe, Nico,” Austin said as Chiron moved to the window. “You did good.”

“This appears to have been only a minor attack,” Chiron called. “Nico, what was the risk to Cecil?”

“What?” Nico asked.

“Under this premise of Will’s, that your powers activate at risk of death. What caused that to happen this time?”

Nico had to pause to think, but as Will and the injured demigod got closer, he knew. “Poison, just enough. Reptile?”

“Ambrosia will treat it,” Austin said.

“Unicorn draught is faster,” Chiron said with a smile as he walked over to the medicine cabinet. “Austin, if you can compose a healing hymn by the time Will and Cecil get up here, that would be much appreciated.”

So Nico sat and watched as Will brought a son of Hermes in and set him on an available bed. He watched as Chiron tended to the single wound on the boy’s arm, giving him unicorn draught and ambrosia so that by the time Austin could step in to finish the healing with a song, there was hardly anything left to be done.

Will sat down on the floor in front of Nico then. “You did good, Skeletor.”

“I guess.”

“I’m serious. With that poison, we would be down to about a five-minute window to identify the problem and treat it by the time he got back on his own. You know how to save lives, Nico. It’s just that you don’t know you know.”


	18. And No One Dared Disturb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while. But mental health is a thing, and needing to get back to college because parents exist is also a thing. But I am now settled back in at college and my inspiration has struck again. Very short chapter tonight, and my apologies for that; hopefully at least one longer chapter this week as I get back into the swing of things.

###  **Chapter Eighteen: And No One Dared Disturb**

 

When Cecil was finally taken care of, Will quietly went over to Chiron, already busy with another patient. Nico watched from beside the elevator, not wanting to deal with conversation so soon after a near panic attack.

But Chiron glanced over at him, then smiled and nodded. Will ran over to Nico in an instant, beaming.

“Archery time!”

“Slow?” Nico said.

Will looked him up and down. “Sorry. A bit much?”

Nico only nodded.

The look on Will’s face as the pair stepped in the elevator, though, made him smile. “Oh, my gods. You did this on your own, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Nico muttered.

“Good job,” Will said quietly, sensing that even after having managed it himself, Nico was still nervous. “We can try taking the stairs later, if that helps.”

“Probably,” Nico admitted with a smile as the doors opened.

The pair of demigods hurried to the archery range, only stopping at the armory to find Nico a bow. 

“Compound,” Will said as he handed a black and silver one over. “Designed for a lefty. Probably smarter until your scratches are fully healed.” They were almost good, Nico knew, but he didn’t want to push past his limit. Not if that would annoy Will, and Nico already knew it would.

So Nico took the bow, and with Will carrying his own and a quiver, they walked to the archery range. Nico could see far more people staring at him than he wanted to see at all, but he trusted Will.

“They’re more impressed than scared, I think,” Will said to him when he mentioned the looks.

So Nico believed it.

The pair of demigods didn’t have to talk to anyone when they arrived at the range. Will only told Nico to wait as he set up a target, far closer than any of the marks in the dirt would indicate.

“Watch carefully and don’t stand in the way,” Will said as he grabbed his bow. “We’re lucky the place is empty today, because no one’s going to dodge to grab an arrow and end up shot.”

“That happens?”

“Yes,” Will said drily.

Nico shuddered, watching as Will kept fussing with his aim, never quite satisfied. It took him a minute to realize that it was because the healer didn’t have his binder on, that his body wasn’t the way he was used to shooting.

“You’re a guy,” Nico said. “Just a reminder.”

Will snorted. “Yeah, yeah.”

But he finally hit the bull’s eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes, it is entirely my headcanon that Will's a much better shot with his binder on than without. Because yes.

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews appreciated! Writer fuel needed!


End file.
